LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWS

Elian Gonzalez has been staying with his great-uncle in Miami since he was picked up in an inner tube off the Florida coast on Thanksgiving. He was one of three survivors of a group of 14 Cubans who tried to make it to Florida in a small boat.

Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, has remained in Cuba, saying he would be concerned for his safety if he came to the United States.

His grandmothers -- Mariela Quintana and Raquel Rodriguez -- flew to New York on Friday to plead with U.S. officials for his return to Cuba. They held out hope for a reunion with their grandson on Sunday before they fly back to Havana. "We only have Sunday to see Elian, and we not only want to see him, but we also want to return with him to Cuba," the grandmothers' statement said.

Although Elian's Florida relatives have invited the grandmothers to visit him in Miami, the two grandmothers had said they would not travel there. They said they feared they could become targets of Cuban-American anti-Castro protesters or ensnared in an ever-widening web of legal actions.

GRANDMOTHERS TAKE CASE TO RENO

The grandmothers made no public comment on the talks, but released a written statement calling for his return.

"We maintain that the law recognizes the unique relationship between parent and child and that family reunification has long been a cornerstone of U.S. immigration law as well as Immigration and Naturalization Service practice," Reno said.

"For us, the significance of returning Elian to his family will honor his mother's memory, return the family to normality, and more importantly return Elian to the normality of life with his father, brother, family and friends at his school, his toys, dog and parrot," the grandmothers said.

Cuba: 'Kidnapping in the open'

"It's high time for the U.S. authorities to simply enforce the law," Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon told CNN Saturday evening in Havana. "It's as simple as that." Alarcon called the boy's stay of nearly two months with his Miami relatives "the first kidnapping in the open."

Immigration officials already have ruled that Elian should be returned to his father in Cuba. That has prompted Elian's Florida relatives to ask a federal judge to block any INS action until a court can rule on their request seeking permanent asylum for Elian in the United States.

While the matter goes through the courts, lawmakers in Congress plan an attempt this week to declare Elian a U.S. citizen. If such legislation becomes law, the boy no longer would be an immigrant under INS jurisdiction.

Polls in the United States show that a majority of Americans think Elian should be returned to his father. But passions have run high among many Cuban-Americans, who during protests in Miami have vowed that Elian will never be returned to communist Cuba.

A MOVE IN CONGRESS TO GRANT ELIAN U.S. CITIZENSHIP

WOULD YOU ALLOW YOUR RELATIVES TO MAKE SUCH A DECISION FOR YOU AGAINST YOUR WISHES?

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Connie Mack, R-Florida, could be brought up for a vote by midweek, said Majority Leader Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi.

In the House, companion legislation will be introduced by Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Florida, among others. House Majority Leader Rep. Dick Armey of Texas said GOP leaders in the House had made no decision on how swiftly to push for passage.

The effort to grant Elian U.S. citizenship was denounced by Quintana.
She said, "Nobody has the right to make Elian an American citizen. He was born in Cuba, lived in Cuba and he is a Cuban. And no one outside (of Cuba) -- even the Congress or the president -- has the right to change his status."

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has ordered Elian returned to his father in Cuba. But Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Rosa Rodriguez granted temporary custody of Elian to Lazaro Gonzalez until a hearing scheduled for March.

CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMEN OR SENATORS REGARDING YOUR FEELINGS ON THIS MATTER