87 Foreign Crew Members of Cruise Ships Removed for Possession of Child Abuse Material

Authorities removed 87 foreign crew members from cruise ships at the Port of Boston under Operation Tidal Wave, which targets child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found six Philippine nationals on a cruise ship who admitted that they had in their possession child sexual abuse material, according to a Sept. 25 statement by the agency.

Authorities will not accept the exploitation of children, and CBP will not stop identifying and arresting people involved in doing that, Julio Caravia, acting director of field operations, said in the statement.

Operation Tidal Wave is a multiagency initiative led by CBP that seeks to identify and apprehend crew members aboard cruise ships associated with the possession, production, procurement, distribution, or use of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material.

The current phase of the operation has been in effect since mid-August, with 41 crew members removed in two previous phases.

In phase 1 of Operation Tidal Wave, which took place in San Diego in April, administrative enforcement actions were taken against 27 crew members from six vessels. These people were processed for removal and sent back to their home nations.

In phase 2, which took place in San Juan during June–July, enforcement actions were taken against 14 crew members from three vessels.

In the case of the Philippine nationals, they were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision makes foreign nationals who admit to committing acts involving moral turpitude inadmissible into the United States.

CBP clarified that under federal law, people involved with child sexual exploitation material can face severe penalties, including removal from the country, 10-year inadmissibility into the United States, and criminal prosecution.

In addition to CBP, Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were also part of the operation.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), its CyberTipline received more than 21 million reports last year related to child exploitation. CyberTipline receives reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from the public and electronic service providers.

More than 19 million reports were related to the manufacture, possession, and distribution of child pornography. Other reports included child sex trafficking, child sexual molestation, online enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene material sent to children.

In Operation Relentless Justice, conducted last year to tackle child exploitation in the country, 205 child victims were located, and 293 alleged offenders were arrested. And in April, the month-long Operation Iron Pursuit resulted in more than 200 child victims being rescued and more than 350 alleged offenders being arrested nationwide.