The Raid
From Chess Piece: The Elián González Story by My Cultura and iHeartPodcasts
October 23, 2024 · 32 min · Season 1 · Episode 5
About this episode
The episode recounts the pre-dawn raid by U.S. government agents to take Elián González by force, featuring firsthand accounts from various individuals involved.
As negotiations failed, the U.S. government had been carefully planning for the possibility of taking Elián by force. Then on Easter Weekend, the order came. Armed agents stormed the house in a pre-dawn raid, armed with tear gas and semi-automatic rifles. They smashed down the door of the Miami home where Elián's relatives were keeping him. Donato Dalrymple, the man who had rescued Elián at sea, grabbed the boy and hid with him in a closet, but there was nowhere else to go. A news photographer caught the moment on camera, creating an image that would reverberate around the world — including in Cuba. In this episode, we hear first hand accounts of the night of the raid, from the INS commander of the operation, a family lawyer who was inside the house that evening, and a Cuban exile activist who was outside the Little Havana home. 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: CBS Evening News C-SPAN NBC 6 South Florida See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Guests: Donato Dalrymple, INS commander, family lawyer, Cuban exile activist
Topics covered
- U.S. government
- Elián González
- raid
- family
- Cuban exile
- media coverage
Keywords
- Elián González
- raid
- INS
- Cuba
- Little Havana
- Donato Dalrymple
- tear gas
- semi-automatic rifles
- media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: INS
Books & works: CBS Evening News, C-SPAN, NBC 6 South Florida
Places: Cuba, Little Havana
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- The First Time The Men’s World Cup Came to the U.S.A. · May 29, 2026 · 27 min
- Introducing – La Brega: Season Three · February 11, 2026 · 36 min
- Through Each Other’s Eyes · November 27, 2024 · 24 min
- "Crazy Cubans" · November 20, 2024 · 23 min
- Being Home · November 13, 2024 · 31 min
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