One name stands out on the guest list of thousands of youth at a conference in Ecuador this week : Elian Gonzalez . Fourteen years after he made headlines as the subject of a bitter international custody battle , Gonzalez spoke to CNN on Tuesday . It 's his first trip abroad since the U.S. government removed him at gunpoint from his relatives ' home in Miami and , after a legal battle , sent him back to Cuba to live with his father . Gonzalez , who turned 20 last week , was just 6 years old when he was found clinging to an inner tube after the tiny boat he was traveling in from Cuba sank on the way to the United States . Gonzalez 's mother and nine other people in the boat drowned . He had harsh words for the United States on Tuesday as he recalled his mother 's deadly journey . `` Just like her , many others have died attempting to go to the United States . But it 's the U.S. government 's fault . Their unjust embargo provokes an internal and critical economic situation in Cuba , '' Gonzalez said . `` But , despite that , Cuba , even with all its problems has progressed over the years . The progress we 've made is all thanks to Cuba 's courage , our dignity , our continued fight for a more just model . '' Gonzalez is in Quito , Ecuador , for the World Festival of Youth and Students , a left-wing conference attracting more than 10,000 people from all over the world to discuss global struggles against imperialism . He told CNN en Español that he has been asked to speak at the conference , but is n't quite sure what his topic will be . `` My topic could range anywhere from the lifting of the unjust blockade on Cuba to the freedom of the 'Cuban Five . ' The main reason we 're here is because we want a revolutionary progressive movement that leads to socialism , '' he said . The five Cubans imprisoned in the United States are convicted on charges of espionage , but are considered heroes in Cuba because many believe they prevented acts of terrorism on the island . After his rescue in 1999 , Gonzalez was placed with relatives in Miami , who wanted to keep him in the United States . But Gonzalez 's father , Juan Miguel , fought to bring him back to Cuba . Then-Cuban leader Fidel Castro led massive protests in Cuba demanding Gonzalez 's return . The case of the telegenic boy became a flashpoint between supporters and opponents of Castro 's revolution . As the two sides fought the high-profile case in court , U.S. immigration officials decided to put Gonzalez in the custody of his father , who had come to the United States to argue for Elian 's return . His relatives in Miami refused to go along , and armed U.S. federal agents then raided the home of Gonzalez 's uncle and seized the boy . Some experts at the time worried Gonzalez would suffer a lifetime of trauma as a result of the dispute , or become a political pawn for the Cuban government . After Gonzalez 's return to Cuba , the government there celebrated a political victory but largely kept Gonzalez out of public view and surrounded by government bodyguards . But the case had an undeniable impact on Gonzalez 's life . Fidel Castro attended his 7th birthday party . His father went from being a waiter to being a member of the country 's national assembly . Now he studies engineering at a military school in Cuba and appears to be emerging as a new spokesman for the Cuban government . When asked by CNN en Español to describe what his life has been like since he left Miami , Gonzalez said `` magnificent . '' In Cuba , he said , everywhere he goes he feels the love and support of his fellow Cubans . `` I have n't suffered any consequences because of what happened . It has not affected me psychologically , but it has been hard for my family , '' Gonzalez said . `` Those were tough times . ''
Elian Gonzalez tells CNN he 's happy in Cuba . He blames the U.S. embargo for his mother 's death . `` Their unjust embargo provokes a critical economic situation , '' he says . Gonzalez , now 20 , is in Ecuador for a youth conference .