More than 100 Filipino cruise ship workers detained, deported in US raids
A community member holds up a sign calling for the protection of Filipino workers at a press conference at the Moonlight Port in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship was docked on Sunday, July 20. Screencap from wavy.com video
NORFOLK, Virginia – More than 100 Filipino cruise ship workers have been detained and deported by US immigration authorities since April this year, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and immigrant right advocates announced at a press conference here on Sunday.
PWC Executive Director Aquilina Versoza said 21 Filipino workers had been removed from the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship from April 13 to July 12, 2025, deported to the Philippines and banned for 10 years from reentry to the United States. The workers had been detained during raids conducted by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Carnival Sunshine | Photo from Wikipedia
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PWC Executive Director Aquilina Versoza leads the press conference on Sunday at the Moonlight Port in Norfolk, Virginia. Screencap from wavy.com video
In addition, 80 Filipino workers from Carnival Mardi Gras and Carnival Vista, both based in Port Canaveral in Florida, had been deported between April and May this year, Versoza said. All three cruise ships are operated by the Carnival Cruise Line.
The 21 Carnival Sunshine crew members were “falsely accused” of possessing child pornography “without a shred of evidence” and have not been charged or found guilty of any crime, she said.
A community member joins the press conference to support calls to protect Filipino cruise ship workers. Screencap from wavy.com video
“It didn’t matter that these workers all held valid 10-year visas. It didn’t matter that they are only coming into the port – often for less than a day – to do their jobs,” Versoza said at the press conference held at the Moonlight Port in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship was docked on Sunday.
Two of the deported Filipino workers released statements claiming they had been falsely accused and unjustly detained and deported.
“Tanging hangarin ko lang po ay magtrabaho ng maayos sa barko at buhayin ang pamilya ko…Inosente po ako at biktima lamang ng maling paratang ng CBP sa Virginia (My only desire is to work well on the ship and support my family…I am innocent and just a victim of false accusations by CBP in Virginia),” said Earlson Jasmer Gamboa.
Gamboa, a 29-year-old galley attendant on the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship, was detained and deported on June 28 without any legal representation and without being charged or found guilty of any crime.
Another Carnival Sunshine crew member, Marcelo Morales Jr, said the false accusations have caused him “great stress” and damaged his reputation.
In his statement, Morales said no evidence was presented “and I was fully cleared just weeks before my visa was revoked.”
“I remain committed to my work, the rules of every port I enter and the values of honesty and professionalism,” he said.
More than 40 community members joined the press conference to support calls to protect the rights of Filipino seafarers.
They called on the US and Philippine governments to support efforts to investigate the actions taken by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the role of cruise line employers in facilitating the removal of the Filipino workers.
“Due process is a cornerstone of American values. Baseless accusations without evidence, seeds distrust and resentment against government agencies and government officials,” said Monica Sarmiento, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, one of the speakers at the press conference.
Versoza said PWC plans to initiate a national campaign to demand accountability from the Carnival Cruise Line and “an immediate end to the unjust treatment of crew members.”
PWC is also working with seafarers to educate them about their rights as immigrants, connect them to legal counsel and provide urgent support to those affected.
In response to increasing detentions of Filipino cruise ship workers due to child pornography, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., has issued an advisory reminding Filipinos in the US and aboard ships in US territorial waters that, under US federal and state laws, it’s a crime to view, transport and distribute child sexual abuse materials, and violators can be prosecuted, penalized and deported.
“In view of increasing incidents of arrests, detention and deportation of individuals due to child pornography-related offenses, the Philippine Embassy reminds the members of the Filipino community and overseas Filipino workers in the United States and onboard vessels in US territorial waters, that child pornography is one of the worst forms of child exploitation and to consume it perpetuates such exploitation,” the Embassy said in an advisory dated July 19.
“In this regard, everyone is enjoined to desist from downloading, possessing, viewing, transporting, distributing and selling child pornography.”
The Philippine Embassy said it respects the right of individuals to “seek redress of grievances or take legal action if they feel they have been wrongly accused of legal infractions.”
The Department of Migrant Workers has also advised manning agencies deploying seafarers to cruise ships to strengthen their pre-departure orientation programs by incorporating modules on issues of child pornography and sexual violence.
Carnival has released a statement to WTKR in response to the deportations: “This is a law enforcement matter. Carnival always cooperates with law enforcement investigations. We also have active training and education programs to make sure our crew members follow internet safety guidelines.”
