Reaction Of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, To The Reunion Of Elian Gonzalez With His Father

April 22, 2000

[Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy; Contact: David Carle, 202-224-3693, or 301-872-0665]

"I am glad for the reunion of Elian with his father, and I am relieved that Elian is out of the powderkeg environment that was building in Miami.

"Juan Miguel Gonzalez - and Janet Reno - have mustered extraordinary patience in waiting this long. "The Attorney General and the marshals and INS officers acted professionally as they did their duty to uphold the law, and I have told her that in our conversations this weekend.

It is unfortunate that the Miami relatives made it necessary to send federal agents to remove Elian. In the United States all of us have to follow the law. No group, no matter their motivations, can carve out exceptions to the law. "All Americans know, as every parent knows, that what Elian and his father need most now is time alone."