Four Carnival Cruise Line crew members were recently removed from a cruise ship in Baltimore by border security officials and deported.
Customs and Border Protection conducted an inspection of the Carnival Pride ship earlier this month “based off intelligence that crew members were in possession of child sexual exploitation material,” it said.
“After boarding the vessel and interviewing four suspected crew members, officers confirmed they had received and viewed the material,” a CBP statement said. The cruise line responded after a demonstration was held at the port, alleging lack of due process for the crew members.
Workers Deported Without Any Charges Filed
Crew worker advocates criticized Carnival Cruise Line and the Philippine government for their inaction to protect the rights of crew members. “This was really a heinous act. Due process should be upheld and respected,” said Mark Rodrigo of the Malaya Movement Baltimore.
“This is a law enforcement matter of which we always cooperate, and we defer to the authorities for further comment,” Carnival said. It followed other raids on cruise ships this year, in the Great Lakes region and notably last month in Norfolk, Virginia, where nearly 30 Carnival crew members were detained.
The Pilipino Workers Center said some of these crew members were also accused of possessing CSAM, although none were charged with any crimes. The crew members had denied any wrongdoing. The group claims at least 100 Filipino cruise ship workers have been deported this year. Some told Philippine media they have been banned from reentering the US for 10 years.
In an update, the CBP said: “The crewmembers were found inadmissible and were denied entry to the United States.” Although it seems none of these deported workers were charged, there have been several criminal prosecutions of foreign crew members for possessing CSAM.
In the past few months, charges have been filed against crew members working on Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line ships.
Last year a Royal Caribbean crew member was sentenced to 30 years for video voyeurism after installing hidden cameras in guest staterooms.
