House Bill 9061

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HR 9061

        By Representatives Lacasa, Feeney, Logan, Rubio, Garcia,
    Cantens, R. Diaz de la Portilla, Villalobos, Barreiro,
    Prieguez, Betancourt and Rojas




  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution urging the United States

  3         Department of Justice to suspend its efforts to

  4         deport Elian Gonzalez, to allow Elian Gonzalez

  5         the opportunity to petition for asylum, and to

  6         permit a determination of custody proceedings

  7         for Elian Gonzalez which take into account his

  8         best interests.

  9

10         WHEREAS, Elizabeth Rodriguez, twenty-eight years of

11  age, and her five-year-old son, Elian Gonzalez, attempted to

12  flee communist Cuba by crossing the Straits of Florida on a

13  small vessel, and

14         WHEREAS, Elizabeth Rodriguez perished when the vessel

15  sank in the waters off the coast of Florida, but her son,

16  Elian Gonzalez, survived the perilous crossing, and

17         WHEREAS, upon being rescued by fishermen, Elian

18  Gonzalez was taken into custody by the Federal Government of

19  the United States, and

20         WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice has

21  refused to allow Elian Gonzalez to petition for asylum in the

22  United States and has steadfastly attempted to deport the

23  child and return him to Cuba, and

24         WHEREAS, throughout the course of the contentious legal

25  proceedings to deport Elian Gonzalez to Cuba by the United

26  States Department of Justice, the best interests of the child

27  have been unjustly ignored, NOW, THEREFORE,

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29  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

30  Florida:

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HR 9061

    574-170-00






  1         That the House of Representatives of the State of

  2  Florida urges the United States Department of Justice to

  3  suspend indefinitely its efforts to deport Elian Gonzalez, to

  4  allow Elian Gonzalez the opportunity to petition for asylum,

  5  and to permit a determination of custody proceedings for Elian

  6  Gonzalez which takes into account the best interests of the

  7  child.

  8         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution

  9  be transmitted to the President of the United States, the

10  Attorney General of the United States, and to each member of

11  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.

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