THE TENSION: Camp X-Ray, 7 Years Later

Camp X-Ray, initially used as a holding area for unruly migrants in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, was used as the first detention facility for alleged terrorists after, Sept. 11, 2001. Camp X-Ray was used for only four months until Camp Delta was established providing better shelter for enemy combatants detained by Joint Task Force Guantanamo. JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detained enemy combatants, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the Global War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and, on order, responds to Caribbean mass migration operations. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Emily Russell, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs.)

Camp X-Ray, initially used as a holding area for unruly migrants in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, was used as the first detention facility for alleged terrorists after Sept. 11, 2001. Camp X-Ray was used for only four months until Camp Delta was established providing better shelter for enemy combatants detained by Joint Task Force Guantanamo. JTF Guantanamo conducts safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detained enemy combatants, including those convicted by military commission and those ordered released. The JTF conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination for the protection of detainees and personnel working in JTF Guantanamo facilities and in support of the Global War on Terror. JTF Guantanamo provides support to the Office of Military Commissions, to law enforcement and to war crimes investigations. The JTF conducts planning for and, on order, responds to Caribbean mass migration operations. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Emily Russell, Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs.)

News in Balance:

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Jan. 15, 2009 -- Operation Sea Signal, conducted by Navy and Marine Corps personnel of Joint Task Force, took place here between 1994 to 1996, and cared for more than 50,000 Haitian and Cuban migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Camp X-Ray became the holding area for no more than 60 refugees who either had a known criminal history or demonstrated criminal behavior.

In late 2001, in preparation for detention operations the camp was expanded to make it the current size.

January 2002 marked the beginning of detainee operations at Guantanamo Bay when the first 20 detainees were transferred to the island. Camp X-Ray, named phonetically for its grid coordinate, held a total number of about 300 detainees before it closed in April of 2002. Detainees were transferred to the newly built Camp Delta facility, which was more secure and provided better shelter and amenities.

After the closure of Camp X-Ray, visitors have only been there to tour the facility to see where Joint Task Force Guantanamo began. Since 2002, the camp has sat vacant, and eventually became overgrown with vegetation.

Some of the most iconic photographs associated with Guantanamo were taken at the camp during the early days of detainee operations. These photos, taken and distributed by the Department of Defense, were released at a time when Americans and people around the world needed to know that the United States was doing something in the aftermath of Sept. 11. However, the misconception still exists that Camp X-Ray is in use today.

(Report by Staff Sgt. Emily Russell, Joint Task Force Guantanamo.)