Passengers aboard a Disney cruise ship docking in San Diego were recently left shocked as they reportedly saw multiple employees getting arrested. The arrests reportedly took place on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal. According to a report in California Post, passengers aboard the cruise ship watched as immigration officials handcuffed several employees on the Disney Magic ship while it was being unloaded.
US Customs and Border Protection Operation
US Customs and Border Protection boarded five cruise ships, including a Disney cruise docked as part of ongoing child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) enforcement operations, a CBP spokesperson told the Post. “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.
Disney's Response
After the reason for the arrests was made public, a Disney spokesperson told The California Post, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement. While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company.” The company, however, did not specify the exact number of Disney employees arrested in the ICE operation.
Immigration Rights Concerns
Incidentally, prior to the news about what the arrests were allegedly for, several immigration rights groups were said to be up in arms about the Disney arrests. Some immigration rights groups reportedly claimed that four “seafarers” were arrested on the Holland America MV Zandaam cruise ship.
Crew Members' Nationalities and Visa Cancellations
Customs and Border Protection told the newspaper that 26 of the crew members from the five ships were from the Philippines, one from Portugal, and one from Indonesia. The agency reportedly confirmed that “all subjects were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography,” cancelled their visas, and are removing them from the country. “CBP cancelled their visas and these criminals are being removed from our country,” the spokesperson added.
