Elián González is a Cuban man who became famous as a child in the late 1990s. At the age of five, he was found floating on an inner tube off the coast of Florida after a failed attempt to escape Cuba with his mother, who tragically drowned during the journey. Elián was taken in by relatives in the United States, leading to a highly publicized custody battle. The case drew national attention and sparked debates about immigration, family, and the political relationship between the United States and Cuba. In 2000, after a lengthy legal struggle, Elián was returned to his father in Cuba, where he has since lived a private life.