By Luisa Yanez Sun-Sentinel . Web-posted: 11:53 p.m. May 8, 2000
MIAMI -- Spencer Eig was the first attorney to speak for Elián González, even before he became the world's most famous 6-year-old.
But, when federal agents took Elián away from the home of his Miami relatives on April 22, his most recognizable attorney was not even in town.
Eig, 40, of Miami Beach, an Orthodox Jew, was observing Passover in St. Paul, Minn., with his in-laws.
Was it just a coincidence that one of the lead negotiators was away when his famous client was taken?
Eig says he thinks federal immigration officials may have "taken advantage" of his absence to make their move. He also hinted that things might have gone differently if he had been part of the negotiating team centered at the Little Havana home of the boy's great uncle, Lázaro
González.
"Who knows?" said Eig, who heads to Atlanta this week for the latest court battle in the Elián case. "I'm not second-guessing my colleagues. I have complete confidence in what they did. If the government had waited a bit longer, I think there would have been a peaceful
resolution. But you never know what could have happened with someone else."
Eig had been one of three attorneys handling negotiations in the legal battle over the boy. In early April, he took part in unsuccessful marathon talks at the Miami headquarters of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Maria Cardona, spokeswoman for the INS in Washington, said the fact that Eig was out of town did not play into the decision.
"We made our decision based on the best information when to act from law enforcement officers, period," Cardona said on Friday.
Eig said he had advised all parties that he would be out of town April 19-28.
Copyright 1999, Sun-Sentinel Co. & South Florida Interactive, Inc. |