U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues its enforcement operations involving cruise ship crew members after twenty-seven cruise ship workers were deported last month as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation material offenses.
According to information provided to Crew Center another crew member was removed yesterday from the cruise ship Pearl Mist by CBP in the Port of Detroit.
The crew member, identified as a Filipino able seaman (A/B), was reportedly called to meet ship management after CBP officers boarded the vessel and spoke with senior officers.
"The CBP came onboard and directly talked to the captain, and then management called the A/B while he was on duty. He was deported immediately," the crew member told Crew Center.
The source added that this was not the first such incident involving crew members at the port, claiming that three similar cases have occurred aboard the Pearl Mist since last year while visiting Detroit.
Operated by Pearl Seas Cruises, Pearl Mist is a 210-passenger cruise ship with approximately 65 crew members. The vessel specializes in Great Lakes, Canada, New England, and St. Lawrence Seaway itineraries, visiting ports throughout the United States and Canada.
The reported incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of cruise ship crew members entering U.S. ports. In recent months, federal authorities have carried out multiple arrests, visa revocations, and deportations involving crew members from several cruise lines as part of law enforcement investigations.
