La Sombra

About this episode

The episode discusses the tensions surrounding Elián González's custody battle and the implications of his father's wishes amidst political pressures.

Throughout the ordeal, Elián's father always insisted he wanted the boy to return to Cuba. But many Cuban Americans speculated that Juan Miguel wasn't operating under free will — but rather under threat, and in the shadow of Fidel Castro. As the Miami family refused to hand Elián over to his father, tensions boiled over and negotiations began. The Attorney General, lawyers and other negotiators tried to bring the two sides together. As Elián started to disappear from the public eye, authorities became increasingly worried about the boy's safety and well-being. This season's cover art by Ranfis Suárez Ramos. Thanks to These Archival Sources: Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives Original Material Appeared In: 7 News at 5pm ABC Evening News ABC Nightline AP Archive CBS Evening News CNN C-SPAN Martí Noticias NBC Evening News Periódico Escambray The Guardian Univison See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics covered

• Elián González
• Cuban American community
• family reunification
• Cuba
• Fidel Castro
• legal negotiations
• child welfare

Keywords

• Elián González
• Juan Miguel González
• Fidel Castro
• Cuban Americans
• custody battle
• child safety
• legal negotiations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Attorney General, Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, 7 News, ABC, CNN, NBC, Univision, The Guardian, C-SPAN, CBS

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