Authorities have removed 87 crew members from cruise ships in Boston over alleged possession and distribution of child exploitation material since mid-August.
The enforcement actions include six employees from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway ship, Customs and Border Protection said in a Sept. 25 news release. The crew members, who were all citizens of the Philippines, admitted to previous possession of child sexual exploitation material or child sexual abuse material, according to the agency.
“Following comprehensive searches of their living quarters and electronic devices, all six were processed for removal of conditional landing under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for crimes involving moral turpitude,”
the release said. CBP did not share other information about the employees’ identities.
Norwegian told USA TODAY that the company is aware of the situation and cooperating with authorities. "The safety, security, and well-being of our guests are of paramount importance, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment across our fleet," the cruise line said in an emailed statement.
The removals are part of the multi-agency Operation Tidal Wave, targeting CSAM and CSEM possession among workers on cruises, officials said.
"The success of Operation Tidal Wave reflects the unwavering dedication of our officers and partners to protect the most vulnerable," acting director of field operations Julio Caravia said in the release.
The Boston efforts come after other phases in San Diego in April and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June and July.
Those led to administrative enforcement actions for 27 employees across six ships in San Diego, CBP said. In San Juan, 14 cruise crew members were removed, and those operations resulted in “the acceptance of federal prosecution for one individual.”
The news follows a number of arrests of crew members from various cruise lines on similar charges in recent years.
Anthony Salisbury, then special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations Miami, told USA TODAY in 2024 that child exploitation was "significantly higher across the board," and not just in the cruise industry.
"If it's up across the board, you're going to see it up across the cruise ships," he said at the time.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 85+ cruise crew removed over alleged child sexual exploitation material
