CBP Detains 28 Cruise Crew in San Diego CSEM Operation

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers boarded five cruise ships, including one operated by Disney Cruise Line, docked at the Port of San Diego between April 23 and 25 as part of an enforcement operation targeting child sexual exploitation material, or CSEM.

A CBP spokesperson stated that officers interviewed 28 suspected crew members, including 26 from the Philippines, one from Portugal and one from Indonesia. All subjects were found to have been involved in the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution or viewing of CSEM, according to the spokesperson. The crew members' visas were revoked, and they were removed from the United States.

The operation, which involved federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, resulted in the arrests of crew members from multiple vessels. It remains unclear how many of those detained worked specifically for Disney Cruise Line, though passengers on the Disney Magic reported witnessing several employees, including a head waiter and chefs in uniform, being taken into custody upon the ship's arrival from a voyage that included stops in Ensenada, Mexico, and Catalina Island.

Disney Cruise Line issued a statement...