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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported 27 cruise ship workers alleged to have been involved in the receipt or production of child pornography, the agency said in a Monday statement.
CBP boarded eight cruise liners ported in San Diego from April 23-27 as part of an ongoing investigation into child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), CBP told Fox News Digital.
The agency detained 28 employees and determined 27 of them “were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography,” an agency spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
CBP canceled visas for 27 of the individuals, 26 of whom were from the Philippines, and deported them back to their home countries.
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An aerial view shows the San Diego skyline and harbor on the ocean bay in California. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group)
At least 10 of the detained subjects were employees of Disney Cruise Line, according to NewsNation.
A spokesperson for Disney Cruise Line told NBC News they have a “zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior” and that the company cooperated with the investigation fully.
“While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company,” the spokesperson told NBC.
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Aerial view of the Disney Wonder cruise ship docked at B Street Pier on March 20, 2020 in San Diego, California. At least 10 of the suspects in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CSEM investigation were employees of Disney Wonder. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Another cruise liner, Holland America, also confirmed to NBC that some of its employees were involved in the investigation. The company called the allegations “deeply disturbing” and told NBC the employees had been “terminated.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California told KPBS that there are no pending charges for the individuals in the district.
The Disney Fantasy cruise ship by Disney Cruise Line docked in Falmouth, Jamaica, on May 2, 2018. (iStock)
A source with knowledge of CBP operations told Fox News Digital that the bar for deportations is lower than it would be to prosecute the alleged offenders criminally.
“A criminal charge is not required for an individual to be found inadmissible or for their visa to be revoked; administrative thresholds for visa cancellations are distinct from criminal prosecution standards,” the source told Fox News Digital.
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“Visa revocations may occur when information surfaces after the initial visa issuance that would preclude admission to the United States. CBP retains the authority to cancel visas and refuse admission at any time should new information arise,” the source concluded.
Fox News Digital contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, Disney Cruise Line and Holland America but did not immediately receive a response.