Free Republic

Background: I've previously covered the "Elian Gonzalez II" case in Miami--a battle over a 4-year-old Cuban immigrant girl which pits her Cuban father, Rafael Izquierdo (pictured), against wealthy Cuban-American foster parents Joe Cubas, a well-known sports agent, and his wife Maria. Just as Elian's father Juan Gonzalez faced numerous unfair hurdles to get his son back, Izquierdo has been manhandled by the child welfare system, in part because of the system's anti-father bias. In 2005, the girl's mother brought the girl to Miami from Cuba. The Florida Department of Children & Families removed the girl from her mother's custody in...

AP) The father of a 5-year-old Cuban girl at the center of an international custody battle did not abandon or neglect her, so he should get her back, a judge ruled Thursday. Circuit Judge Jeri B. Cohen said she would not immediately return the girl to her father, Cuban farmer Rafael Izquierdo, who wants to take her back to Cuba. The girl went into foster care after her mother brought her to the U.S. in 2005 and then attempted suicide days before Christmas. She has been living with foster parents in Miami for the past 18 months and they want...

My latest His Side with Glenn Sacks [http://www.hisside.com/] radio commentary for KLAA AM 830 in Los Angeles criticizes the Florida child welfare system for its handling of the “Elian Gonzalez II” case in Miami. To listen to the commentary, go here: www.glennsacks.com/hsrc/mp3/hsrc-cuba.mp3. In my commentary, I explained: "There’s been a lot of media attention focused on the 'Elian Gonzalez II' case in Miami. The battle over a 4-year-old Cuban immigrant girl pits her Cuban father, Rafael Izquierdo, against a wealthy Cuban-American foster family. Just as Elian's father Juan Gonzalez faced numerous unfair hurdles to get his son back, Izquierdo is...