07/05/2026
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07/05/2026
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SAN DIEGO, May 7: Federal officers arrested 28 cruise ship crew members, including staffers aboard a Disney cruise ship docked in San Diego, as part of a sweeping child sexual exploitation material enforcement operation, authorities said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers boarded five cruise ships between April 23 and April 25 as part of ongoing operations targeting child sexual exploitation material, a CBP spokesperson told The California Post.
The vessels included a Disney cruise ship at the B Street Cruise Terminal in San Diego.
According to CBP, officers interviewed 28 suspected crew members during the operation. The group included 26 individuals from the Philippines, one from Portugal and one from Indonesia.
“After boarding the vessels and interviewing 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one suspected crew member from Portugal, and one from Indonesia, officers confirmed all subjects were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography,” the CBP spokesperson said.
CSEM stands for child sexual exploitation material.
CBP said the individuals’ visas were cancelled following the operation and that they are being removed from the United States.
“CBP cancelled their visas and these criminals are being removed from our country,” the spokesperson said.
Disney Says Workers Are No Longer With Company
Disney confirmed that some of the arrested individuals had worked for the company and said it cooperated with investigators.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement. These individuals are no longer with the company,” a Disney spokesperson said.
It remains unclear how many of the 28 arrested crew members were employed by Disney, or which other cruise lines and ships the remaining crew members were assigned to.
Passengers Witness Arrests Onboard Disney Magic
Passengers aboard the Disney Magic were shocked when they saw federal officers detaining crew members as the ship docked in San Diego last month.
Vacationers filmed the scene as immigration officials placed several employees in handcuffs while the vessel was being unloaded. Passenger Dharmi Mehta recorded video of the arrests and said one of the detained workers had been her server during the cruise.
The arrests initially sparked concern among immigration rights groups before officials publicly disclosed that the operation was connected to alleged child sexual exploitation material offenses.
Some groups also claimed that four “seafarers” were arrested aboard the Holland America MV Zaandam cruise ship.
Port Police Say They Were Not Involved
The Port of San Diego said its Harbor Police Department did not participate in the federal enforcement action.
“The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department did not have any involvement in the reported enforcement actions on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal,” a port spokesperson told NBC San Diego.
Authorities have not released the names of the arrested crew members or provided further details about the evidence allegedly found during the operation.
The case remains part of CBP’s broader effort to identify and remove individuals allegedly involved in the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution or viewing of child sexual exploitation material.
