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Embattled Cuban Father Wins Sole Custody in 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case



 
 
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Old December 5th 07, 05:51 AM posted to alt.support.child-protective-services,alt.support.foster-parents,alt.dads-rights.unmoderated,alt.parenting.spanking
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Default Embattled Cuban Father Wins Sole Custody in 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case

Embattled Cuban Father Wins Sole Custody in 'Elian Gonzalez II' Case

December 3, 2007 at 3:07 pm · Filed under Vox Populi

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/12/03/...zalez-ii-case/

Background: In October I partnered with Dr. Ned Holstein and Fathers &
Families in a campaign to protest Florida Department of Children &
Families' actions in the "Elian Gonzalez II" case in Miami. In that
case, Rafael Izquierdo, a fit, loving father, faced numerous obstacles
to reunite with his 6-year-old daughter.

The case pitted Izquierdo against wealthy Cuban-American foster parents
Joe Cubas, a well-known sports agent, and his wife Maria. In 2005 Elena
Perez, Izquierdo's ex, brought the girl to Miami from Cuba. DCF removed
the girl and her half-brother from her mother's custody in 2006, after
an investigation found that the woman's mental illness rendered her an
unfit parent. The girl was placed with the Cubas family, and Izquierdo
came to the US to bring his daughter home.

Rather than allowing Izquierdo to take his girl home, DCF hired 19
lawyers and spent over $250,000 to oppose their reunification, and even
continued to resist after an exhaustive hearing in a Miami court
determined that Izquierdo is a fit and committed father.

When we launched our campaign to protest this injustice, several
thousand of you answered our call to action, and our protest was covered
or cited in hundreds of newspapers, including by the Associated Press,
syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post Writers
Group, Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, the Miami Herald, the Orlando
Sentinel, and many others.

In our letters and faxes to Florida DCF, we asked that they contact Dr.
Holstein. DCF, to its credit, did so and agreed to meet. In the photo
above left, Dr. Holstein shakes hands with Gilda Ferradaz, head of DCF's
Miami division. Dr. Holstein met with Ferradaz, Mary Cagle, DCF's
Director of Child Welfare Legal Services, and other DCF officials. In
the photo above right, Dr. Holstein meets with Izquierdo, who he
describes as a "warm, composed, dignified man who clearly loves his
daughter."

To learn more about the case and our campaign, click here.

A settlement has been reached in the Elian Gonzalez II case which gives
embattled Cuban father Rafael Izquierdo sole custody of his young
daughter. According to the Associated Press' Cuban father gets custody
in settlement (11/30/07):

"A Cuban farmer would get sole custody of his 6-year-old daughter under
a settlement reached Wednesday in a lengthy court battle involving the
girl's U.S. foster parents and state officials...Under the settlement,
Rafael Izquierdo and his daughter would remain in the United States
[until the girl is seven] and the foster parents - former baseball
players' agent Joe Cubas and his wife, Maria - would get regular visits
from the girl...

"Beyond that, Izquierdo would have no parental restrictions and could
eventually return to Cuba...The agreement is subject to approval by
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Jeri Cohen, who has scheduled a hearing
Tuesday."

Ira Kurzban, Izquierdo's attorney, thanked Fathers & Families for its
efforts on Izquierdo's behalf, saying that the campaign and media
attention "played an important role in the case." I thank and commend
Dr. Holstein for his excellent work in Florida.

I also thank the thousands of you who wrote or called Florida DCF. After
Dr. Holstein met with DCF, he told me that the DCF officials had brought
in "stacks and stacks" of letters and faxes they had received from
protesters, and faxes were coming in continuously during their meeting.
Holstein explains:

"We are proud to have played a role in bringing about this proposed
settlement...Rafael came through for his daughter like a great
father--surmounting obstacles as a poor farmer in Cuba to come to her
aid in Florida...He deserves a medal of honor.”

Izquierdo is very happy with the settlement, and we believe that it is
good for all parties. While I do believe that Izquierdo should have the
right to take his daughter with him back to Cuba tomorrow if he chooses,
the agreement is a better alternative. It still allows Izquierdo to
return to Cuba when the girl is seven if he elects to, yet it also
allows the girl to maintain her relationship with the Cubas family.

Despite the Cubas' misguided custody bid, they do deserve credit for
caring for the girl when the girl's mother came apart and Izquierdo was
still in Cuba. The agreement also allows the girl to maintain her
relationship with her half-brother--the girl will be visiting him and
the Cubases every other weekend.

Campaigns and victories cost money--to make a tax-deductible donation to
Fathers & Families to help defray our campaign's expenses, click here or
contact Dr. Holstein directly at 617.542.9300 or
.





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.


CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
 




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