11 Arrested Aboard Boston Cruise Ships in Child Exploitation Probe
Nine of those arrested are citizens of the Philippines, and the other two are citizens of Indonesia and Nicaragua; authorities searched living quarters and electronic devices.
Federal authorities arrested 11 foreign nationals after boarding Holland America Line’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway in Boston during a three-day operation targeting child sexual exploitation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the arrests, conducted from Friday through Sunday, involved accusations of receiving and disbursing child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material.
The action was part of Operation Tidal Wave, a joint initiative involving CBP, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Although the operation targets cruise ship crewmembers, CBP did not confirm whether the 11 people arrested were employed aboard either vessel.
Nine of those arrested are citizens of the Philippines. The other two are citizens of Indonesia and Nicaragua. Authorities did not release their identities or specify how many arrests occurred aboard each ship.
CBP officers and HSI agents searched the subjects’ living quarters and electronic devices before making the arrests. The agency did not disclose how the individuals were initially identified or provide details about the material allegedly found during the searches.
All 11 were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. CBP classified the alleged conduct as crimes involving moral turpitude. The term is not specifically defined in the statute and has developed through immigration case law; such offenses can make a noncitizen inadmissible or deportable depending on the applicable provision and circumstances.
“Protecting children from exploitation is among our highest priorities,” said Julio Caravia, acting director of field operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office.
Caravia said the operation relied on coordination among the participating agencies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement partners. He said the agencies will continue using their available authorities to disrupt the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and prevent those involved from entering or remaining in the United States.
