Cuban President recalls anniversary of the return of Elián González

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 29 (ACN) Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel recalled onday the return of Cuban child Elián González to his homeland after being kidnapped for seven months in the U.S. city of Miami.

In his official Twitter profile, Díaz-Canel recalled the joy in Cuba on June 28, 2000 when the little boy arrived at José Martí International Airport, in this capital, after intense days of mobilizations and denunciations by the Cuban people, led by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro.

"#Elián returned, in his father's arms, to the #Homeland and to the home that had fought so hard to rescue him from an infamous kidnapping. That June 28 was a day of insurmountable joy for the Cuban family. #WeAreCuba #WeAreContinuity," the Cuban leader tweeted.

The then six-year-old boy remained kidnapped in Miami by distant relatives in collusion with the Cuban-American mafia, after losing his mother in the shipwreck of a boat that sought to reach the shores of the United States, as a result of the irregular migration encouraged by the Cuban Adjustment Act.

On November 22, 1999, Elián González Brotons was illegally taken out of the country by his mother and the shipwreck of the boat in which they were traveling caused the death of 11 of the occupants, except for the minor and two other people.

Clinging to a tire, he was rescued by fishermen and taken to U.S. territory, where he became, after the just claim of his father, the center of the battle of an entire people for seven months for his return.