That is his wish, they say, and was the wish of his mother. They claim he would face mistreatment if returned to Cuba. On Thursday, Roger Bernstein, a Gonzalez family attorney, gave a strong indication that the family would not resist a federal court order for the boy's return. I'm sure our clients have every respect for the law. Ms. Reno again stated that only the federal government had standing to resolve such an immigration issue, and that the boy, as determined by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, should be returned to his father in Cuba.
Legal specialists say that the family has little chance of prevailing in federal court.
The family may, however, hope that federal court involvement will delay an outcome until Congress reconvenes on Jan. 24. Some conservative legislators have vowed to introduce legislation to grant Elian legal status. My hope is that people will look at this little boy and get him into a situation where he can live a normal life without television cameras and the world in his face,'' Ms. Reno said. It is still unclear how the boy's return will be effected if the family continues to refuse to surrender him, particularly among the tensions in Miami.