Guantánamo Public Memory Project

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1994: Judge Orders Guantánamo Closed and Haitian Refugees Released

On June 8, 1993, Federal Judge Sterling Johnson orders that the Guantánamo camp be closed and that the remaining Haitians be released. Using pointed language, Judge Johnson asserted: “The detained Haitians are neither criminals nor national security risks. Some are pregnant mothers and others are children. Simply put, they are merely the unfortunate victims of a fatal disease. The Haitians' plight is a tragedy of immense proportion and their continued detainment is totally unacceptable to this Court.”