ndmothers. She noted sensing fear in the two, while the grandmothers stated having no privacy with the boy and too many interuptions. The grandmother's cell phones were even confiscated as a condition of the meeting.Because of growing legal concerns, the Miami relatives cancelled a meeting with Attorney General Janet Reno on February 9. Instead, Marisleysis Gonzalez and Georgina Cid, both second-cousins to Elian, lobbied on Capital Hill for support of the Elian bill to grant citizenship or permanent residency.March 9, 2000 was the much anticipated date that would determine the fate of Elian Gonzalez. Lazaro Gonzalez and his daughter Marisleysis, along with other Miami relatives, were finally back in court to force the INS to give Elian a political asylum hearing previously denied. This time the family's arguments were heard at the federal level and U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore presided. On this date, no ruling was made and the judge recessed the court without a decision until Tuesday, March 21. In his ruling, Judge Moore firmly upheld United States Attorney General Janet Reno's decision to return Elian to his father in Cuba. He dismissed the case and stated, "Each passing day is another day lost between Juan Miguel and his son."The Federal Court's ruling sparked a media frenzy covering every minute aspect of Elian and his Miami relatives. By this time, the news media had been camping out in masses outside the Little Havana home of Elian's relatives interviewing everyone from legal experts to child phychiatrists. Marisleysis Gonzalez shocked viewers of CNN's Talkback Live when she walked across the street of her Miami home to a live broadcast to respond to comments made by New York psychiatrist Dr. Preston Wiles. Dr. Wiles was one of many psychiatrists speculating on the best interests of Elian and infuriating the family. "It's very easy to be outside of a situation and talk not knowing what this little boy went through," exaspe...
