Two cruise ships raided in Boston as 11 arrested over child abuse images

Two cruise ships raided in Boston as 11 arrested over child abuse images The individuals, from the Philippines, Indonesia and Nicaragua, now face deportation from the United States following searches of their electronic devices and accommodation Eleven people working on two cruise ships are set to be deported over the alleged "reception and disbursement" of child sexual abuse and exploitation footage. The individuals worked on Holland America’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway when officers from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained them after boarding the ships at the Port of Boston. The arrests were carried out between August 14 and 16 in connection to the individuals' alleged part "in the reception and disbursement of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material". In a statement released on Thursday, CBP said nine of them were citizens of the Philippines, one was Indonesian and one from Nicaragua. It has not been revealed how many workers were arrested from each cruise ship. Officers searched each of the suspects' accommodation and electronic devices and the 11 workers are now "scheduled to depart the United States". Acting director of field operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office, Julio Caravia, said: "Protecting children from exploitation is among our highest priorities, and this operation demonstrates the critical role CBP officers play in identifying and stopping individuals who pose a threat to public safety. "We will continue to use every available authority to disrupt the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and prevent those involved from entering or remaining in the United States." The enforcement action was part of "Operation Tidal Wave", which is led by the CBP and aims to tackle cruise ship crew associated with the possession, use, procurement, production or distribution of child sexual abuse or exploitation material. In April, 27 crew members from six vessels were arrested in San Diego and returned to their home countries. In June and July, 14 more people from three vessels were identified in San Juan, with administrative enforcement action taken against them and federal prosecution against one of them. Jeffrey Grimming, of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said: "HSI is proud to stand with our colleagues at CBP to reaffirm our message: Anyone who possesses or transports child sexual abuse material is not welcome in the United States and will face serious consequences." Holland America Line told New York Post: "These allegations are deeply disturbing, and we have zero tolerance for criminal behavior. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and immediately terminated the individuals involved." The paper reports that the company declined to comment on how the individuals involved were employed or how future job candidates will be screened. The Mirror has approached Norwegian Cruise Line for comment.