Remember Elián González? He Wants to Visit the US

It's hard to forget those images of little Elián González being brought to shore after floating in the Florida Gulf after his mother and 10 other people died while escaping Cuba on a small aluminum boat. The subsequent international custody battle, and that shocking photo of US Marshals entering the house in Miami, where a frightened Elián was staying with family, to take him back to Cuba to be with his father is also etched in our memory. After months of his life and his future being played out in the media, not much about Elián has been heard since 1999, but for the first time as an adult, he is talking about what happened to him and how his life has been for the past 16 years. 

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Elián, now a college student, says he wants the chance to thank the American people in person by traveling back to the US. "Perhaps one day we could pay a visit to the United States. I could personally thank those people who helped us, who were there by our side. Because we're so grateful for what they did," he says. Elián also recounts the capsizing of the boat that lead to his mother's death, saying, "I remember when the boat capsized, when we fell in the sea. I remember when I was put on the raft and my mom was covering me and I was raising my head, looking around . . . and at some point, I raised my head and I didn't see her again." He also adds he still disagrees with his mother's efforts to leave Cuba for Florida but is thankful she did all she could to keep him alive at sea. Watch the interview above.