Miami , Florida ( CNN ) -- It has been 10 years since federal agents raided the Gonzalez family home in Miami 's Little Havana neighborhood , seizing 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez . Today , the house is a museum where visitors can see a virtual shrine to the boy -- now a 16-year-old military student in Cuba -- and his brief time in the United States . His school uniform still hangs in the closet , along with dozens of outfits that he never got a chance to wear . His toys are on display inside the house , as well as a giant image of the infamous Associated Press photo showing a federal agent pointing a weapon toward Elian and Donato Dalrymple , who had been hiding the boy in a bedroom closet . `` The story is still very vivid in this area , '' says Ruby Feria , a local radio reporter who covered the story . `` People think that it was just yesterday that they took Elian . '' The custody dispute that led to Elian 's seizure made national headlines , partly because of the possible impact on already tense U.S.-Cuban relations and also on the 2000 presidential election . Elian was found off the coast of Fort Lauderdale , Florida , in November 1999 , the only survivor of a group of 13 Cuban migrants trying to make it to the United States . His mother was among the dead . His father , in Cuba , demanded his return , but relatives in Miami refused to release him , touching off a seven-month international custody battle . Eventually , Attorney General Janet Reno decided to send Elian back to Cuba , but she failed to persuade his relatives in Miami to relinquish custody of Elian to his father . So , during the predawn hours of April 22 , 2000 , armed federal agents raided Delfin Gonzalez 's home and seized the boy , reuniting him with his father . Vice President Al Gore , who was running for president at the time , broke ranks with the Clinton administration , calling for the matter to be settled in Florida 's family court system . Gore was accused of pandering to Florida 's Cuban-American voters , because the state was a battleground state in the presidential vote . Today , largely sheltered from prying eyes , 16-year-old Elian attends a Cuban military academy in the Cuban city of Matanzas . State media recently published photos of the trim-haired teen in his olive green and red uniform participating in the annual congress of the Union of Communist Youth . CNN 's Shasta Darlington spoke to Elian 's grandmother in his hometown of Cardenas . She said he comes home every weekend to visit his family there . `` Now he 's a man , a little man , '' said Maria Quintana , standing on the porch of the modest house where Elian used to live with his father . `` He has a normal life , the way he wants it . '' A plaque denouncing what many in Cuba call the `` Miami mafia '' hangs on the front of the house . She said Elian gets top grades , but still has time for `` a lot of girlfriends , just like any normal boy . '' Elian 's immediate family has moved to another part of town to avoid outside intrusions on their life . When Elian returned to Cuba in June 2000 , he and his father found themselves with front-row seats to Cuban President Fidel Castro 's rallies . Castro himself had led the battle to bring Elian back . On more than one occasion , Elian himself took the stage . `` It 's been five years since I returned with my dad , '' he said at one event . `` And it was possible because of my family , the Cuban people and Commander Fidel . '' Castro and Elian also had a personal relationship . The aging president attended his birthday celebrations . Since Castro was sidelined by illness , Elian has largely disappeared from the media and public events . Cardenas -- like Miami -- has a museum honoring Elian , but it tells a different story . It features a statue of a defiant young Elian , photos and even the original T-shirt worn by one of the fishermen who found the boy drifting at sea . A sculpture of a giant middle finger reads `` Cuba 's answer , '' apparently being flipped at the country 's nemesis to the north . Will it ever be possible for Elian to lead a normal , quiet life ? `` It 's up to Elian , '' one of the museum tour guides said . `` He could play a role in the country 's future , but only if he wants to . '' CNN 's Kelly Marshall and John Zarrella in Miami , Florida , Shasta Darlington and David Ariosto in Cardenas , Cuba , contributed to this report .
Federal agents abducted Anthony Gonzalez , 17 , from his relatives ' Miami home on September 22 , 2000 . Currently , Elian attends a Cuban military academy in Matanzas , Cuba . There are museums about the Elian Gonzalez incident in Miami and Cuba .