I am pleased with the decision today of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. As I have said before, this is a case about the importance of family and the bond between a father and son. I have supported the Justice Department's conclusion that Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, is the one best suited to speak for his child, and I am pleased that the court has upheld the Justice Department's determination.
NOTE: The statement referred to Cuban youth Elian Gonzalez, rescued off the coast of Florida on November 25, 1999, whose custody the Immigration and Naturalization Service decided in favor of his Cuban father.
William J. Clinton, Statement on the Circuit Court of Appeals Decision in the Elian Gonzalez Case Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/228193