Pineiro said he respects individual freedom to dissent but that it is CAUSA's responsibility to take a firm position on the issue.
"If we were to be politically correct and not propound a position, we would be virtually voiceless during a time when the Cuban-American voice is very significant," he and his CAUSA co-president Juan Carlos Rasco wrote in an e-mail message to the CAUSA mailing list.
In order to raise awareness about their position, CAUSA is planning to distribute information concerning the case next week outside the Science Center and is organizing a forum later this month at the Institute of Politics to address the issue of Elian's fate.
"We want to make it clear that we don't represent every member of this organization," Pineiro said. "But as an organization, we have to take a stance."