Thousands of Americans have called GTMO home: military personnel, contractors, and their families. It’s where many people grew up, went to high school, and met their future spouses. “GITMOites” often remember their time on the base as a unique and formative experience.

In the 1990s, more than 30,000 Cubans and 20,000 Haitians seeking asylum in the US were rescued from the sea, then held at GTMO in tent cities behind barbed wire. Some called it a “safe haven;” others, a “prison camp.”

In the 1990s, more than 30,000 Cubans and 20,000 Haitians seeking asylum in the US were rescued from the sea, then held at GTMO in tent cities behind barbed wire. Some called it a “safe haven;” others, a “prison camp.”

During World War II, thousands of Cubans worked on the base every day; after the Cuban Revolution, they had to choose sides. Many got caught in the middle of a global struggle.

In 2002, the first “enemy combatants” were brought to Camp X-Ray, first built for criminal refugees. Today, 172 prisoners remain at GTMO; others were released without charge.