Cruise Ship Workers Detained in San Diego Port Crackdown on Child Abuse Material

Federal authorities detained and deported more than two dozen cruise ship employees at the Port of San Diego late last month, part of an ongoing operation targeting child sexual abuse material. What passengers initially mistook for an ICE raid was actually a coordinated effort by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Between April 23 and 27, CBP officers boarded eight cruise ships docked along Harbor Drive. The agency confirmed the action was part of enforcement operations against child sexual exploitation material, or CSEM. Of the 28 people detained, 27 were linked to the receipt, possession, distribution, or viewing of such material.

The sweep targeted crew members from several ships. Ten of those detained worked aboard the Disney Magic, a popular family cruise liner. The others were scattered across the remaining vessels. In total, authorities took 26 Filipino nationals into custody, along with one Portuguese and one Indonesian crew member.

Social media videos posted by passengers showed workers being led away, sparking rumors of an immigration enforcement action. CBP clarified that all 27 suspected crew members had their visas revoked and were returned to their home countries.

The operation underscores the cruise industry's vulnerability to employees using onboard internet access for illegal activity. Disney Cruise Line has not commented on the incident.