'Grown Up' Elian Gonzalez Photos In Communist Uniform Spark Controversy

By Daniela Capistrano

A lot has changed for Cuban teen Elian Gonzalez. Ten years ago, he was a 5-year-old asylum-seeker, caught between two worlds and a symbol of the struggle against Fidel Castro's communist regime.

Gonzalez taken by U.S. immigration officials in 2000 (AP Photo)

The Cuban immigrant community in Florida rallied behind the boy's family in Miami while they fought for custody, but ultimately U.S. immigration officials insisted that the he be returned to his father in Havana. The subsequent raid on Elian's home and the boy's frightened image struck a cord with many.

A decade later, the Cuban government has released new photos of a (nearly) grown-up Elian Gonzalez.

image via AP Photo/Ismael Francisco

Now a member of the Young Communist Union, the stoic-looking 16-year-old can be seen with a closely cropped haircut and an olive-green military school uniform.

According to The Newsroom, the Cuban government press released the images under the none-too-subtle headline "Young Elian Gonzalez defends his revolution in the youth congress."

Since Elian's return to Cuba ten years ago, the Castro regime has closely monitored the boy and his father. In his homeland, Elian Gonzalez is hailed as a national hero who embodies the triumph of Cuba over the United States. Every few years, the Cuban government has floated news updates and photographs trumpeting Elian's progress as a model young citizen of the Castro regime.

Castro has been known to show up at Elian's birthday parties and school graduation ceremonies. In 2005, in an interview with CBS' Bob Simon for "60 Minutes," Elian referred to Castro "not only as a friend, but also as a father."

Despite the propaganda, many aren't convinced by their sentiments. After the latest batch of photos went public Monday, Elian Gonzalez has been a trending topic on Twitter.

The American Thinker has released this statement:

"If Elian had been granted asylum, today he would be a teenager preparing to go to college with every opportunity for success ahead of him. Instead, on the cusp of adulthood, Elian poses for propaganda photos sandwiched between Cuban army soldiers attending the Union of Young Communists congress in Havana...

The youthful Gonzalez should have been wrapped in the America flag. Instead a boy who once represented the quest for the God given right to be free, waves a Cuban flag symbolizing poverty, oppression, authoritarianism and misinformation."

Tr3s Comunidad, how do you feel about Elian's life in Cuba? Tell us in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Cuban, Elian Gonzalez, grown up, Photos, teen