Cruise & Ferry
Advocates protest detentions and deportations of cruise ship employees in Norfolk
Twenty-one employees of cruise ships have been detained — and some deported — while their ship was docked in Norfolk by federal authorities who accused them of possessing child pornography, immigrant advocates alleged Sunday morning.
Customs and Border Protection officers, escorted by Carnival Cruise Line security staff, detained the crew members in a series of raids dating back to April, advocates said, to their downtown office a few blocks away.
Around 50 people gathered on the edge of Town Point Park, in sight of hundreds of people disembarking and boarding the Carnival Sunshine on Sunday, protesting the actions of federal authorities and the cruise line.
Aquilina Soriano Versoza, the executive director of the Pilipino Workers’ Center, said all 21 crew members had been “falsely accused” of possession of child pornography and were not being afforded due process.
Soriano Versoza said all the detentions are baseless, targeted actions made to bolster deportation quotas as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown.
Carnival said its staff merely has cooperated with federal law enforcement.
The FBI and U.S Customs and Border Protection have made a series of arrests of cruise ship employees, going back to the Biden administration. It is not clear whether any of the employees detained in Norfolk have been charged with any crimes.
At the rally, Soriano Versoza said the latest detention had happened Sunday morning.
She said authorities would stop suspected “lower-ranking” employees, like cooks, casino workers and custodians, and demand their phones. Crew members were removed from the ship and held at the CBP office, in hotel rooms or at the airport.
“There were no formal charges at all. Only accusations with no evidence,” Soriano Versoza said in an interview.
Soriano Versoza said those who were detained didn’t have criminal records. They held approved visas.
The Pilipino Workers Center, a West Coast-based advocacy group, hurriedly put together the demonstration starting Friday after they were contacted by crew members aboard the Sunshine.
In one such case in June, nine crew members were escorted off the ship at once.
The crackdowns, she said, are made against workers who often don’t fully understand what’s happening, what their rights are or who have any ties to the Hampton Roads region.
Soriano Versoza said the cases in Norfolk are unlike previous cases of cruise ship employees involved with child pornography.
When accused crew members ask to see evidence that would incriminate them, authorities have nothing to show, she said.
“It’s just a justification for deporting hardworking migrants,” Soriano Versoza said.
“This is a law enforcement matter,” a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement. “Carnival always cooperates with law enforcement investigations. We also have active training and education programs to make sure our crew members follow internet safety guidelines.”
Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, speaks during a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) The Carnival Sunshine sits in port at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. According to Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have boarded the Sunshine and taken away more than 20 workers in handcuffs with legal visas since April, one as recent as Sunday morning shortly before the demonstration. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Betsy Ainspac educates cruise-goers walking by on the deportations of Filipino seafarers with legal visas working aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators line the fence as cruise-goers walk by to board the Carnival Sunshine at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. People gathered to bring attention to U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection agents removing Filipino workers with legal visas who work aboard the Carnival Sunshine. About 20 workers have been detained since April and all have been deported back to the Philippines according to organizer Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators participate in a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. According to Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have boarded the cruise line and taken away more than 20 workers in handcuffs since April, one as recent as Sunday morning shortly before the demonstration. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, speaks during a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators line the fence as cruise-goers walk by to board the Carnival Sunshine at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. People gathered to bring attention to U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection agents removing Filipino workers with legal visas who work aboard the Carnival Sunshine. About 20 workers have been detained since April and all have been deported back to the Philippines according to organizer Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Show Caption1 of 8Cruise-goers walk by demonstrators bringing attention to deportations of Filipino seafarers with legal visas working aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)Expand
An official with Nauticus and the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, the terminal which cruise ships make port at in Norfolk, said while they were generally aware of the situation, it was a matter of CBP and they didn’t know any specifics.
CBP officials had not responded to calls and emails requesting comment by Sunday evening.
“They are dedicated parents and spouses who have undergone rigorous background checks to obtain their work visas,” said Hampton Roads NAACP president Gaylene Kanoyton, who also spoke at the event. “Every person deserves dignity and inclusivity regardless of their immigration status.”
She said the detentions happening in Norfolk were just the latest case of aggressive action taken against immigrants in Virginia, comparing it to the arrests of a dozen people made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a Chesterfield County Courthouse.
Julie Jamora, an activist in the Filipino community, said the news shared by Soriano Versoza has already rattled Filipinos across Hampton Roads.
Jamora, a native of Virginia Beach and a daughter to Filipino immigrants, said the messaging on display in Norfolk matches the idea of “tago ng tago” a Tagalog expression meaning “always hiding.”
“They leave it up to God,” she said. “This is life or death for a lot of Filipinos. If we don’t act now, all of us will be suffering, fighting for our rights some day.”
John Buzbee, 757-879-7421, john.buzbee@virginiamedia.com
Authorities in Bermuda said Tuesday that they arrested four U.S. cruise ship passengers accused of drug possession.
Police said in a statement that the suspects had a “significant quantity of illegal drugs” including cannabis and carfentanil, which experts say is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and is used to tranquilize elephants.
“This seizure may have prevented a potential tragedy,” said acting Detective Superintendent Derricka Burns.
The suspects also were accused of possessing vape pens and suspected THC gummies.
Bermuda police said security officers aboard a Carnival cruise ship had detained the suspects.
They were arrested upon their arrival to the wealthy British overseas territory located in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Police did not provide additional details.
Carnival said in a brief message that it complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
“We follow a zero-tolerance drug policy,” the company said. “We also advise our guests that they can be personally subject to local law enforcement actions.”
A school bus could soon be shuttling passengers between cruise ship piers in Sydney, N.S., but just on a temporary basis.
Nicole MacAulay, manager of cruise for the Port of Sydney Development Corporation, said the port used to provide a free shuttle service for passengers arriving at the second berth to get them to the main terminal where they can access shops and bus tours to attractions around Cape Breton.
But that became impossible this spring after the port’s bus unexpectedly suffered a serious mechanical problem.
“We had reached out to the school board to cover off our dates for July and August,” MacAulay said. “They’re going through that process to help us out as we work for a longer-term plan for September and October.”
The Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion terminal is several hundred metres away from the second berth.
The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education has applied to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board for permission to temporarily operate a bus between the sites.
MacAulay said she hopes that will be approved soon. The next time more than one cruise ship will be in Sydney harbour is Aug. 4.
She said buying a new bus is expensive, and last week, when two cruise ships were in, the port had to hire a taxi company’s vehicle and van for two days.
That meant shuttling passengers took longer than it normally would, but the weather was good, so many passengers opted to walk.
That’s not always an option for those who have mobility issues, MacAulay said.
‘Reviewing all options’
She said commercial bus operators on the island are all busy and it’s not clear what will happen in the fall when schools reopen.
“At this point, we’re reviewing all options and doing our homework and talking to some partners to see what makes the most sense for transportation between the two piers,” MacAulay said.
In an email, a spokesperson for the centre for education said if it receives approval, the port would be paying for the bus and driver, so the centre would not bear the cost or make a profit.
Carnival Cruise Line celebrated the opening of Celebration Key with a special ceremony held on Saturday.
According to a press release, the Carnival Vista was the first ship to visit the new private destination in Grand Bahama, with nearly 5,000 guests onboard.
As part of the ceremony, Carnival Cruise Line’s President Christine Duffy, Carnival Corporation’s CEO Josh Weinstein, Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal and Carnival Vista’s Captain Paolo Severini turned the key that “unlocked” the gates to the 10-story Suncastle, a landmark building in the new destination that is home to two racing waterslides.
They also cut the ribbon to open Lokono Cove, the shopping village, while O’Neal made the first shot at the basketball court, which was followed by a champagne toast at Pearl Cove Beach Club, an adults-only retreat.
“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for Carnival as we open the first phase of our initial $600 million investment, with more to come. Celebration Key is more than just a beautiful place; it’s a celebration of the Bahamian paradise our guests love, complemented by an impressive variety of incredible new experiences and offerings,” said Duffy.
“We’ve built the ultimate beach day for our guests, whether they crave fun in the sun or relaxation under a palm tree,” she added.
According to Carnival, Celebration Key will initially bring more than two million guests a year to Grand Bahama. By 2028, this number is expected to grow to four million.
“The economic impact for Grand Bahama is substantial, with hundreds of long-term jobs created by daily operations,” the company added.
The destination features an adjacent cruise pier capable of accommodating two of Carnival’s largest ships simultaneously.
Construction is also underway for an extension to the pier, which will be able to accommodate two additional vessels.
Celebration Key features five areas for guests to explore, including Paradise Plaza, a central location where guests are welcomed with live music.
Other spaces include Starfish Lagoon and Calypso Lagoon, as well as Pearl Cove Beach Club and Lokono Cove.
Guests will also find more than 30 food and beverage venues across the destination, which are said to offer something for everyone.
The destination offers a variety of live entertainment that includes Junkanoo parades, roaming rake-and-scrape musicians, DJs and all-day beach games.
For private relaxation, a variety of cabanas, daybeds and villas are available, and sports courts, water activities and shore excursions are also offered.
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