CBP Removes Six Norwegian Breakaway Crew in CSAM Case
Operation Tidal Wave's Boston operation is planned through September 30. In San Diego, an April phase involved administrative actions against 27 crew members.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it removed six Filipino crew members from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway following a September 20, 2026, enforcement action in Boston. The agency said all six admitted during subsequent interviews to previously possessing child sexual abuse or exploitation material.
The removals brought the Boston total under Operation Tidal Wave to 87 crew members, according to CBP. The multi-agency initiative began removing crew from ships at the port in mid-August.
Officers initially encountered the six aboard the vessel before taking them to Boston Logan International Airport for secondary interviews. CBP said officers subsequently searched their onboard accommodation and electronic devices.
The agency said the crew members were processed for removal of their conditional landing privileges under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citing alleged crimes involving moral turpitude. Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) provides grounds for inadmissibility based on either a conviction or a qualifying admission relating to such a crime.
Philippine Labor Attaché Saul De Vries told GMA News that the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., had received notification from the Department of Homeland Security about the arrests. He said the embassy was verifying the status of those detained.
Authorities have not released the six crew members’ names. The nature of the material collected during the broader enforcement operation has also not been disclosed.
Julio Caravia, CBP’s acting director of field operations, said the agency “will not accept this exploitation” and “will not stop identifying and arresting the individuals who participate in it.”
Aboard Norwegian Breakaway
On the day of the encounter, Norwegian Breakaway had completed a seven-night Canada and New England sailing and was starting another itinerary of the same length in the region. No operational changes or delays have been reported in connection with Operation Tidal Wave.
Earlier Boston actions removed 11 crew members from Norwegian Breakaway and Holland America Line’s Volendam. No ship-by-ship breakdown was disclosed.
In a mid-August statement to USA Today, Norwegian Cruise Line said it was cooperating fully with authorities and remained committed to maintaining a safe environment for guests across its fleet.
Enforcement across three ports
CBP’s Office of Field Operations Enforcement Operations Division leads Operation Tidal Wave, with participation from Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The initiative targets crew members suspected of possessing, using, acquiring, producing or distributing child sexual abuse or exploitation material.
The San Diego phase in April resulted in administrative enforcement actions involving 27 crew members across six ships. Operations in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during June and July led to 14 removals, with one case accepted for federal prosecution.
Under U.S. law, involvement with child sexual abuse material can lead to criminal prosecution as well as immigration removal and extended periods of inadmissibility. CBP did not announce criminal charges against the six.
CBP plans to continue the Boston operation through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. Whether the initiative will continue in another region or cruise homeport during the new fiscal year remains unclear.
