Federal immigration agents arrested 14 cruise ship workers in front of shocked passengers during two separate enforcement operations at a San Diego port, marking what advocacy groups describe as an escalating pattern of worksite enforcement actions.
Disney Employees Detained in Uniform
Ten Disney Magic cruise ship employees were taken into custody on April 23 as the vessel docked in San Diego following a five-day voyage. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents boarded the ship during unloading procedures, detaining workers still wearing their uniforms. Passenger Dharmi Mehta captured video of the arrests, watching as her server from the trip was handcuffed while dressed in his blazer and tie. Other detained employees wore chef’s uniforms with name tags still attached.
Mehta expressed concern about the detained workers’ inability to contact family members. The arrested employees appeared to leave without personal belongings, raising questions about how they would reach loved ones. Witnesses reported seeing federal agents transport the crew members away in a white van. Two days later on April 25, four additional crew members faced arrest on the Holland America vessel Zandaam at the same terminal.
Immigration Groups Challenge Enforcement Pattern
Immigration rights organizations pushed back against the arrests, characterizing them as part of a troubling trend. Benjamin Prado from Union del Barrio stated the incidents represent a growing enforcement pattern extending beyond San Diego throughout the country. The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department confirmed it played no role in either operation, citing California law including Senate Bill 54, which restricts local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement activities.
Legal Questions Surround Cruise Ship Operations
A maritime attorney speaking with local media suggested federal agents possessed specific reasons for conducting the operations, though neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Disney provided official statements. The arrests raise questions about employment verification procedures in the cruise industry and the legal authority of immigration enforcement aboard commercial vessels. California’s sanctuary state policies limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, creating jurisdictional complexities when federal agents conduct operations within state borders. The cruise terminal incidents highlight ongoing tensions between state immigration protections and federal enforcement priorities.
California needs funding cut for not helping with ICE enforcement. There is no such thing as a sanctuary state from federal laws !
Everyone aiding and abetting the criminals is guilty of breaking statutes in the law books already.
What should be done is to deport the people who are complaining about ICE and let the illegal stay. If this was done just once, the complainers would disappear. There is nothing wrong with complaining about something government does that is WRONG, but immigration law has been around for more than a century, it’s just that Trump is the first President to take it seriously and enforce it.
Illegal means illegal
City law enforcement not helping ICE agents should be arrested
And everyone of those people took a job from an American- maybe your college student or high school graduate that is trying to travel and work. These people are taking opportunities from Americans!
Can the company be fined for hiring an illegal alien without check papers?
Once upon a time an employeer could be fined. It was against Federal law to knowingly hire an illegal alien. These days with activest judges, corrupt politicians and lawfare against thos who try and uphold our laws we wonder if our society is being hammered into an anarchest society. It is good to see some signs of our old culture of lawful citizenship and responcibility still around. Many thanks going out to ICE for job well done.
Disney should be fined a huge amount to make sure they don’t hire illegals ever again! They are taking away jobs from immignts who waited in line and didn’t cheat to become a US citizen and US citizens that need jobs!
No sorrow felt here. Laws are laws, no one is exempt. We are a country based on law and order.
Just read that these people are accused of being linked to child porn and maybe trafficking.
Remember to get out and vote RED to stop the democrats and their policies like open borders! If the democrats take over the congress and senate the country will stop being free!
The true issue here for all of you to understand is the California Politicians are breaking Federal Law with their Bizarre policies…like sanctuary cities et-al…absolutely doing such illegal law that the California populace suffers in high taxes and in harm’s way.
The Democrat party to whom I once belonged to and no longer…has gone to Marxism and getting closer to Communism in their Socialistic KaKa that is deeply harming our core principles of America and our Law.
Vote RED!!!
Illegals last. Democrats also should be last?
I wouldn’t worry about these people, they are criminals and got what they deserve.
Good things come to those that wait.
All of those jobs could have gone to real Americans instead of criminals.
Disney should be fined.
Voter ID is a must. No photo ID, fine, we take your photo and a thumbprint. This will make elections secure again.
This wasn’t ICE and they were pedophiles. They were involved in a sex ring involving minors.
When a Us citizen is falsely charged with terrible crimes against a minor, loses his job, loses his home that is even after the judge filling the charges set his bail at zero yes $0 and released him the da and prosecutor would not question the judges ruling nor look into the matter. At trial the defense attorney showed the majority if not all witnesses and accuser lied under oath. Where were all these righteous people in Washington state? Protecting illegals I guess. Go ICE