Elian Gonzalez voiced his disapproval of the United States' ongoing embargo against Cuba while attending the World Festival of Youth and Students in Ecuador this week.

Gonzalez, now 20, captivated the nation 14 years ago when he was the lone survivor of a sea voyage from Cuba to the U.S. that took the life of his mother. Following his arrival on a raft to the U.S., he was sent to live with relatives in Miami. After a court battle, it was ruled that Gonzalez would be sent back to Cuba with his father. Law enforcement officials took the 6-year-old boy from his uncle’s house at gunpoint a midnight raid.

Elian Gonzalez Slams U.S.

Having lived in Cuba with his father since then, Gonzalez has become deeply passionate about the country of his birth and an avowed supporter of Fidel Castro. To him, the United States is responsible for many of Cuba’s struggles – and for his mother’s death.

"Just like her, many others have died attempting to go to the United States. But it's the U.S. government's fault,” Gonzalez told CNN on Tuesday. “Their unjust embargo provokes an internal and critical economic situation in Cuba."

"But, despite that, Cuba, even with all its problems has progressed over the years,” he added. “The progress we've made is all thanks to Cuba's courage, our dignity, our continued fight for a more just model."

Gonzalez Calls Embargo 'Unjust,' Fidel Castro His 'God'

Gonzalez, an engineering student at a Cuban military academy, has been asked to speak, at the left-wing youth conference. "My topic could range anywhere from the lifting of the unjust blockade on Cuba to the freedom of the 'Cuban Five,'” he revealed. “The main reason we're here is because we want a revolutionary progressive movement that leads to socialism," he said.

It has been no secret that Gonzalez and his family in Cuba were taken under Castro’s wing upon his return to the country. Castro attended Gonzalez’s seventh birthday party with much fanfare and ultimately made his father Juan Miguel – a longtime waiter – a member of the country’s national assembly.

“Fidel Castro for me is like a father,” Gonzalez told CubaDebate. “I don’t profess to have any religion, but if I did my God would be Fidel Castro.

– Chelsea Regan

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