MIAMI, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The once-prosperous movement against Cuban President Fidel Castro among Cuban exiles in Miami has weakened in recent years, the Los Angeles Times said.
The newspaper reported Friday that the movement's weakening, evidenced by the presence of only a few hundred people at rallies celebrating Castro's July 31 temporary ceding of power, has been caused over the years by generation gaps, the Elian Gonzales custody battle of 2000 and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The actions of anti-Castro protestors who sought to prevent 6-year-old Elian Gonzales from being returned to his father in Cuba "were perceived to be arrogant and not respectful of U.S. law," said pollster Sergio Bendixen, who has studied public opinion among Latinos for 25 years. "That created a lot of heart-searching in the Cuban community."
Additionally, the Sept. 11 terror attacks created an atmosphere in the United States that was less friendly to anti-Castro militants, the Times said.
In the years since the attacks, the United States has arrested several suspected anti-Castro militants who might not have faced legal repercussions in the country before 2001, the newspaper said.
