Elian Stays Put

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday September 29, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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A federal appellate court in Atlanta yesterday sided with Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives and strongly suggested that the U.S. government erred in denying an asylum hearing for the 6-year-old Cuban shipwreck survivor. Arguments on that issue will be heard in a courtroom on May 11. This means Elian must remain in the U.S. at least until then, but the ruling did not specify where he should stay. It also did not bar the boy from being reunited with his father -- who came to the U.S. on April 6 and is still waiting to see his son. Juan Miguel Gonzalez's lawyer, Gregory Craig, infuriated that the court's ruling has further delayed a reunion of father and son, told reporters, "We call upon the United States government to take immediate action. It is unconscionable to wait one day longer."