Rally Draws Attention To Immigration Actions Targeting Cruise Ship Workers

NJG Newswire
NORFOLK

Passengers returning to the Port of Norfolk aboard the Carnival Sunshine on Sunday July 20 were greeted by about 40 community members with signs calling attention to the detaining and detentions of visa-holding Filipino cruise ship seafarers.

The gathering was led by Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWC) and  joined locally by the NAACP, the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and several other community groups.

According to organizers, since April 13, 2025, 21 Filipino crew members of the Carnival Sunshine cruise line, all holding valid 10-year visas, have been forcibly removed in handcuffs by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Norfolk and sent back to the Philippines without any legal representation or due process. Organziers said the workers were falsely accused of possessing child pornography and have not been charged or found guilty of any crime.

“They are dedicated parents and spouses who have undergone rigorous background checks to obtain their work visas,” said Hampton NAACP president Gaylene Kanoyton, one of the event speakers. “Every person deserves dignity and inclusivity regardless of their immigration status.”

Kanoytan, also Virginia State Conference NAACP Region 1 Vice President and Political Action Chair, said the detentions happening in Norfolk were just the latest case of aggressive action taken against immigrants in Virginia.

The Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) reported it has been in communication since April 2025 with affected seafarers, many of whom are lawfully employed and not undocumented, yet are being targeted and deported without due process. PWC has confirmed that over 80 Filipino crew members were deported from the Carnival Mardi Gras and Carnival Vista, both based in Port Canaveral, Florida, between April and May 2025.

On Monday, July 21, U.S. Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued a statement on the matter.

“My office has been made aware of recent immigration enforcement actions by CBP at the Port of Norfolk and other ports in the United States against cruise ship seafarers from the Philippines and other nations even though they held valid C1/D visas.

“Based on credible press reports, an earlier CBP action last year in Florida aboard a cruise ship was pursuant to a law enforcement investigation. However, that individual was arrested, charged, and convicted of a crime – and will not be deported until after serving his sentence. It is unclear based on press reports why these recently deported seafarers were targeted. Especially, whether for each individual detained, if there was probable cause that they had committed a crime.

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“I am making inquiries with the appropriate federal authorities to gather more information. Our nation was founded on the fundamental principles of due process. Under our Constitution, everyone is entitled to due process regardless of citizenship or immigration status.”

According to organizers of the Sunday event, reports of similar occurrences have come from Florida and the Great Lakes region. This trend has gone largely unnoticed, however, they said, because these are migrant workers who do not have ties to the mainland. They are working on the cruise ships and their families are still living in their home country.

When these deportations have occurred, organizers said, the workers have had no knowledge of U.S. law and no connections for legal support.