The claim that a video shows former President Barack Obama in a cell at Guantanamo when he was arrested in 2019 is false. The video is from 2013 when Obama and his family visited Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in Robben Island, South Africa. Michelle Obama wrote about her experience visiting Mandela’s tiny cell where he spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Obama was never arrested or held at Guantanamo Bay.
Obama did make a historic visit to Havana, Cuba in March 2016, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. During his presidency, Obama had intended to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay but was unable to do so due to obstacles in Congress.
The post claiming Obama was arrested at Guantanamo was widely shared on Facebook but has been debunked by fact-checkers at Reuters and Lead Stories. The video in question is clearly from Obama’s visit to South Africa in 2013 and not from any arrest at Guantanamo in 2019.
The Guantanamo Bay detention center has housed about 780 prisoners since 2002, with 30 detainees remaining as of August 7. Obama’s visit to Cuba and his efforts to close the detention center are part of his legacy as president.
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