Advocacy groups say more than 100 cruise ship crew members have been deported in recent months, and they’re not being shown the evidence against them or given any due process.
When Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents marched the housekeeper down the gangplank of the Victory I cruise ship in the Port of Detroit on the morning of July 11, she didn’t know what was wrong, but she was confident it would get sorted out.
The crew member, originally from South America, had worked for 20 years on smaller cruise ships plying the Great Lakes. She split her time between her home country, where her family still lives, and the Great Lakes region, where she had a job she loved and a partner. She says that over the years, her respect for America and its dedication to the rule of law had grown.
It wasn’t until a CBP agent told her to put her hands behind her back and she felt the cuffs click around her wrists that a horrible feeling washed over her, and she realized she may have been mistaken about something very, very important.
“When I was handcuffed, all that respect that had been building up for 20 years disappeared,” says the former crew member, who requested anonymity.
Why the woman—whom Reason is calling “Maria” to protect her privacy—was being arrested would shock her even more when she eventually found out.
Maria is one of more than an estimated 100 cruise ship crew members who have been summarily deported and had their work visas revoked in recent months based on unsubstantiated allegations by CBP agents of possessing or viewing child pornography.
According to interviews, advocacy groups, and…
Unsubstantiated allegations…if a sexual related offense then one is guilty until proven innocent and if any other type of offense then one is innocent until proven guilty – my opinion.
When I was on the registry I wasn’t allowed on any cruises and had to report if I planned on getting on one that left the country, and you’re telling me more than 100 cruise ship members were illegal aliens they weren’t even American citizens I thought they did back ground checks on everyone who boards the ship 🚢
It wouldn’t surprise me if CP allegations were used to deport foreign workers.
If anyone believes those individuals were transporting csam on their phones, I’ll sell you Three Rivers Stadium. 😁 Obviously this was a setup to boost the numbers at Homeland since the president can’t stand he’s still trailing far behind Obama’s deportation numbers. As we know, possession is a very serious crime that can get you life in some states. The feds wouldn’t miss the opportunity to prosecute those foreign citizens if strong evidence pointed to them carrying that csam. Instead, it’s just a quick paalam back to the Philippines
It’s political theatre over pragmatism and public safety. The agencies are using every hook and crook to bolster their quota for the Trump administration including bypassing due process THAT NO ONE should support.