Humanitarian· Caribbean Operations (Cuba + Haiti)
SEAhut Burning
This record concerns an incident during the Guantanamo migrant-camp operations in which Haitian migrants set fire to a SEAhut, one of the prefabricated structures used to house the population at the base, during a disturbance in the camps.
The burning was an act of protest or unrest among migrants frustrated by their prolonged and uncertain confinement, the kind of flare-up that the Marines managing the crowded camps had to anticipate and contain. The episode reflected the tensions inherent in the migrant-camp mission, where a vulnerable population held in limbo could turn to destruction of the facilities as an expression of anger and desperation. The Marines responded to restore order and safety in the affected area. The SEAhut burning was one of the disturbances that punctuated the camp operations at Guantanamo, an example of the volatile conditions the Marines faced in the constabulary role of managing the migrants, far removed from combat but demanding restraint and steady control.
Record no. 808