It was Thanksgiving of 1999 when two Florida fishermen rescued a little boy from the sea. His name was Elián González—a Cuban 5-year-old who had survived a journey across the ocean. His mother and others drowned.

His survival made global headlines, and soon Elián would be put in the middle of a dramatic battle for his custody between members of his family and two nations: Cuba and the United States.

“Chess Piece: The Elián González Story” is a new podcast from Futuro Studios and iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network, hosted by investigative journalist Peniley Ramírez. 

More episodes available now on the Chess Piece feed, wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks to These Archival Sources:

Miami Dade College's Wolfson Archives

Original Material Appeared In:

AP Archive, Belly of The Beast Cuba, CBS Early Show, CBS Evening News, CNN, CNN's "Elián: The Remarkable Story of A Cuban Boy's Journey to America," C-SPAN, Cubavisión, Good Morning America, ITN Archive, Univision, and 7 News At 5pm.