Overview
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations boarded Holland America’s Volendam and Norwegian Breakaway and arrested 11 foreign crewmembers after searches of living quarters and electronic devices.
- The 11 detained workers include nine Filipino citizens, one Indonesian and one Nicaraguan, and were processed for removal under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- The operation was part of Operation Tidal Wave, a multiagency campaign run by CBP with HSI, Internet Crimes Against Children task forces and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- CBP said the Boston actions, which took place Aug. 14–16, bring the campaign’s reported administrative enforcement total to 52 crew members across phases in San Diego, San Juan and Boston.
- Cruise lines said they cooperated with investigators and terminated the implicated employees, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has not publicly announced whether it will pursue federal criminal charges.