7 Filipino cruise seafarers arrested in Boston, deported to Philippines

7 Filipino cruise seafarers arrested in Boston, deported to Philippines
DAVE LLAVANES JR. October 8, 2026 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/dispatch/1005196/7-filipino-...

NEW YORK — Seven Filipino crew members from cruise ships that docked in Boston were apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection, the latest in a series of arrests that involved other Filipino sailors at the same port.

Labor Attaché Saul de Vries of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., confirmed that seven Filipinos were arrested in Boston and immediately sent back to the Philippines.

According to De Vries, the seven Filipino crew members were taken into custody from different cruise ships that docked in Boston on October 5.

"Yes, there were seven taken by CBP and immediately removed from the US. We have no official information on which vessels they were taken from, but we believe they did not come from just one vessel," De Vries said in a message to GMA News.

The CBP has not publicly released the names of the seven Filipinos, their positions aboard the ships, or the specific reasons for their removal.

Since mid-August, 87 foreign cruise ship crew members have been removed from the Port of Boston as part of a broader enforcement campaign known as Operation Tidal Wave, which targets the possession or distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

That month, nine Filipino seafarers aboard cruise ships docked in Boston were arrested and later deported to the Philippines in connection with Operation Tidal Wave.

Last September, six Filipino crew members were also arrested and sent back to the Philippines over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.

De Vries said the Philippine Embassy continues to engage with US authorities regarding the situation but declined to comment on CBP's treatment of the Filipino seafarers.

"I cannot comment on the CBP process. We continue to engage with relevant US authorities on the situation of our seafarers," De Vries added. — VDV, GMA News