Federal authorities detained 11 cruise ship crew members in Boston during a multi-agency operation targeting individuals suspected of involvement with child sexual abuse material.
The crew members were taken into custody when two cruise ships, Holland America Line’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway, arrived at the Port of Boston on August 15 and 16.
The arrests were part of Operation Tidal Wave, an initiative involving US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other federal units focused on identifying cruise ship employees suspected of possessing, receiving or distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
For crew members arriving at US ports, immigration and border inspections can include examination of electronic devices when authorities have grounds for additional screening. In this case, federal officials said the crew members’ living quarters and electronic devices were searched before action was taken.
Authorities have not revealed the names of the 11 crew members or their positions onboard. They also did not provide a breakdown showing how many worked aboard each ship.
According to information released about the operation, nine of those detained are citizens of the Philippines, one is from Indonesia and one is from Nicaragua.
Rather than announcing federal criminal charges against the 11 individuals, authorities said they were processed for removal from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act on grounds involving “crimes involving moral turpitude.”
This distinction is important. Being processed for immigration removal is different from being convicted of a criminal offense. Based on the information released so far, the individuals are expected to be deported from the United States.
The US Attorney’s Office was consulted during the operation, according to authorities.
“Protecting children from exploitation is among our highest priorities, and this operation demonstrates the critical role CBP officers play in identifying and stopping individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” said Julio Caravia, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office.
HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming said the agencies are sending a clear message that individuals who possess or transport child sexual abuse material are not welcome in the United States.
Volendam arrived in Boston on August 15 during an eight-day itinerary that began in Montreal on August 8. The voyage included several Canadian destinations as well as Portland, Maine.
Norwegian Breakaway arrived the following day after completing an eight-day roundtrip itinerary from Boston visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia, and King’s Wharf, Bermuda. The ship is scheduled to continue operating from Boston through early November.
Both vessels continued their scheduled operations following the federal action, with no reported delays connected to the removal of the crew members.
Operation Tidal Wave extends beyond this single weekend in Boston. The ongoing initiative brings together CBP, HSI and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force resources, with particular attention being given to cruise ship crew members suspected of possessing, obtaining, producing, using or distributing child sexual exploitation material.
The latest action once again highlights how a crew member’s arrival at a US cruise port can quickly become an immigration enforcement matter when federal authorities identify potentially prohibited material or other grounds for inadmissibility.
For the wider crew community, however, an important point remains: the actions attributed to the 11 individuals should not be used to cast suspicion on the thousands of seafarers working aboard cruise ships.
