Federal immigration authorities revoked the visas of 27 cruise ship crew members—the majority from the Philippines—following an investigation that uncovered ties to child sexual abuse material, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The enforcement took place across eight cruise ships in late April.
CBP said in a statement released Friday that agents boarded the vessels and identified workers allegedly involved in “the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing” of child sexual abuse images. Those individuals had their visas canceled and were sent back to their home countries.
At least some of those ships had docked in San Diego, though CBP did not specify which vessels were targeted, the reason those particular ships were selected, or where the broader operation unfolded. The agency said no further details were available.
Disney Cruise Line confirmed that some of the workers flagged by federal agents were employed by the company. In a statement, Disney said it has 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.”
CBP noted that a criminal charge is not legally required for a visa to be revoked.
The cruise ship operation comes as federal authorities have ramped up enforcement in the maritime tourism sector.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
