michael wildes appears on abc world news with diane sawyer

Managing Partner Michael Wildes was recently interviewed on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer regarding the international kidnapping of Chase and Cole Hakken by their own parents.

To view the interview, please click here.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2013, Managing Partner Michael Wildes was asked to weigh in on the Hakken child abduction case.  The facts of the case revealed that Chase and Cole Hakken of Tampa, Florida were kidnapped by their parents, who lost their custodial rights to the boys grandparents, and taken by boat to Havana, Cuba a mere 320 miles off of Florida’s coast.  

In 2000, Elian Gonzalez and his custodial mother boarded a flimsy raft and headed towards Florida in search of a better life.  Unfortunately, Elian’s mother did not make it onto U.S. soil alive.  Elian’s U.S. relatives tried to gain custody of the child in order to remain and live in the U.S. as was his mother’s dream.  Ultimately, Elian was returned to his biological father.  Mr. Wildes provided much needed insight into the complexities of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law at that time as well as in the current matter.  Mr. Wildes explained that there are “no laws and we don’t enjoy an extradition treaty with the government of Cuba” at this time.  As such, at the time of the taping of this interview, the Hakken children had not yet been returned to their custodial grandparents.  However, Cuban officials did return the child to their grandparents.

This was not the first time that Mr. Wildes has been involved in an international child abduction matter. In fact he has worked on many high profile international child abduction matters: mostly on a pro bono basis, with great success.  Click here for more information.


For Further Information On How We Can Help Your Firm Meet Its Employment Eligibility Verification Obligations, Please Contact Amy Wildes At amy@wildeslaw.com

In The News

Testimonials

Josh Wildes & everyone on the W&W team were excellent with dealing with my green card application. The team were responsive to any questions, set clear goals & requirements for any & all documentation and were clear on what to...

Kelvin Barker Date : March 10, 2023

I received my Green Card from Michael Wildes and his firm some days ago. The petition approval and Green Card release represent a real achievement for people like me in the US. Michael Wildes and his team are excellent, and...

Luca Zammataro Date : November 22, 2022

Dear Michael Wildes, my husband and I would like to thank you and your team,  the work was not easy, especially in the statement, there were a lot of flaws, but we managed to correct everything in a short time,...

Jacques Carline Date : August 3, 2022

Our client David came to us after spending more than three years stuck in the immigration court morass with another attorney. His individual hearing wasn’t scheduled to occur for over a year, and he thought it might get pushed off...

David E. Date : June 8, 2022

Josh Wildes and Yoni Jonas are amazing! We sought Wildes & Weinberg help because our application for naturalization was taking a long time and seemed to be stuck in the system indefinitely. Within two weeks of submitting our paperwork to...

Daniela Bustamante Date : June 1, 2022

Michael Wildes and the rest of the team at Wildes & Weinberg were tremendously helpful in navigating us through the complexities of the immigration process. We are really happy with their service and would 100% recommend them to anyone looking...

Alan Herskowich and Nicole Woroszylski Date : May 26, 2022

Michael and his team are very professional and they always deliver. If you're looking to hire the best possible immigration law firm, you don't have to look any further, Wildes & Weinberg is the one.

Nick Holmstren Date : January 7, 2022

Video Testimonials

  • Book Launch

  • Book Warming

  • Riley Keough

  • Boy George

  • Lionel Richie

  • Stuart Varney

Quick Contact

*All fields are mandatory

Best Immigration Lawyer, Attorneys in NYC, New York