CBP Deports 87 Cruise Ship Crew Members

'Operation Tidal Wave,' which has continued throughout this year, is an operation in which multiple law enforcement agencies cooperated to crack down on the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Through this process, officers of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Boston port deported 87 foreign cruise ship crew members from the United States.

The operation was carried out throughout this year through the cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies and was part of broad efforts to eradicate child pornography.

During the investigation, six Filipino nationals admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material during a second round of questioning, and after their electronic devices were searched, they were subjected to deportation proceedings under the criminal provisions regarding moral turpitude.

In addition, in June and July, a second-phase operation at San Juan, Puerto Rico led to 14 crew members being removed from their ships, and continued crackdowns are ongoing.