He was mistaken about that, and the controversy over his custody could last for months. Last week congressional Republicans came close to introducing a bill to declare Elian an honorary U.S. citizen–then backed down, perhaps because national polls are running heavily in favor of sending him home. In Miami, legal maneuvering by Elian’s relatives shifted to federal court, where the Clinton administration argued that law and morality require his repatriation to Cuba. The next step is a ruling on whether the Feds have jurisdiction, followed by the inevitable appeal. That means Elian will be staying in Miami for now despite his grandmothers’ pleas. For Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, who hosted the visit in her Miami Beach residence, that’s good news. “From the very beginning, it was clear to me that the boy belonged with his father,” she said. “But the boy was ecstatic when he returned to his Miami relatives, and Elian must be in a secure environment that is free of fear.”
