U.S. Customs and Border Protection Arrests 28 on Disney Cruise Ship

Last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents boarded eight cruise ships, including a Disney vessel, in San Diego, California. They arrested 28 individuals during a significant investigation into Child Sexual Exploitation Materials (CSEM), according to officials.

Federal agents were reported to be aboard the ship around April 23 and 27.

“After interviewing 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one from Portugal, and one from Indonesia, officers concluded that these individuals were involved in various illegal activities related to CSEM or child pornography,” noted a CBP spokesperson.

Officials indicated that the offenders’ visas would be revoked, leading to their expulsion from the U.S.

While Disney did not specify how many of those arrested worked for the company, several major media outlets suggested that most were not employees of Disney cruises.

“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior and are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” a Disney spokesperson stated. “Most of those arrested were not our employees, and those individuals are no longer with us.”

The Disney ship had recently completed a five-day cruise that included stops in Catalina Island and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

This week, a video showing immigration agents detaining a Disney employee at San Diego International Airport after the Disney Magic docked went viral, creating an outcry from anti-ICE activists.

A traveler named Dalmi Mehta recorded the video of a man, whom she identified as her waiter, being taken into custody.

Mehta described him as being in uniform, and she noted that other staff members were still dressed in their chef’s uniforms with name tags.

Many immigrant rights groups initially criticized the arrests before the reasons were clarified. Even after the details emerged, some advocates argued that these individuals should face U.S. criminal charges instead of deportation.

Officials from the Port of San Diego confirmed that local police were not involved in the arrests.

“The San Diego Port Police Department had no role in the enforcement actions that took place on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal,” a spokesperson announced, emphasizing that port police do not enforce federal immigration laws.