What Next | Daily News and Analysis Guantanamo Bay’s Comeback Is a Warning
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Feb 6, 2025 Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, dives into the alarming resurgence of Guantanamo Bay as a detention center for immigrants, challenging assumptions about its closure. She examines the complex immigration policies and the implications for human rights. With a historical perspective, Pitzer discusses the labeling of detainees and the troubling realities behind transparency in government operations. The conversation raises crucial questions about legal exceptions and the risks of repeating past injustices.
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Haitian Migrant Crisis at Guantanamo
- In 1991, thousands of Haitian refugees fled a coup and sought asylum in the U.S.
- The U.S. intercepted them and housed them at Guantanamo Bay to prevent their entry.
Guantanamo's Legal Gray Zone
- Guantanamo Bay's legal status as American soil was contested in court cases involving Haitian migrants.
- The U.S. government avoided a definitive ruling to maintain its jurisdictional ambiguity.
Guantanamo After 9/11
- The Bush administration chose Guantanamo Bay to house detainees after 9/11, calling it the "least worst place".
- It was favored for its ambiguous legal status and potential for swift, extrajudicial processes.
