A dozen foreign nationals working on cruise ships were arrested in August for alleged sex crimes, including having sex with a minor and possession of child sexual abuse materials, authorities said.
In Miami, a cruise ship lifeguard from Guatemala was arrested Aug. 22 at the Port of Miami after reports that he had sex with a 17-year-old passenger, police said.
Another bust occurred at the Port of Boston, where 11 foreign workers were taken into custody for receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The 11 crewmembers were arrested as part of Operation Tidal Wave, a coordinated effort carried out Aug. 14–16 involving CBP, Homeland Security Investigations Boston, HSI Fort Lauderdale, and the CBP Fort Lauderdale Human Trafficking Unit, CBP officials said in a news release.
CBP officers and HSI agents boarded the cruise ships Volendam and Norwegian Breakaway docked in Boston.
Keep your kids close if you go on a family cruise. https://t.co/ShZaCLhWoL pic.twitter.com/QZsCk3z2yb
— Illegal Alien Crimes (@ImmigrantCrimes) August 26, 2026
Investigators searched the suspects’ living quarters and electronic devices and took them off the ships, CBP officials said.
The 11 individuals detained include nine citizens of the Philippines, one citizen of Indonesia and one citizen of Nicaragua.
“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,” said Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office Julio Caravia.
They are being processed for removal under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for crimes involving moral turpitude and are scheduled to depart the United States.
“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,” HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming said. “Together, we leverage our unique authorities to seek justice for children victimized and exploited across the globe.”
The larger Operation Tidal Wave is a multiagency initiative led by the CBP Office of Field Operations Enforcement Operations Division, in coordination with HSI agents assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Caravia said various agencies are working together “to disrupt the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and prevent those involved from entering or remaining in the United States.”
The operation is specifically focused on investigating cruise ship members involved in the procurement, production, or distribution of CSEM and CSAM, CBP officials said, along with initiating enforcement actions against them.
Phase 1, which took place April 23-27 in San Diego, resulted in administrative enforcement actions against 27 crewmembers from six vessels, NBC News reported.
Some worked for Disney Cruise Line, which caters to families and children. They were processed for removal and returned to their home countries. Most of them were from the Philippines.
Phase 2 occurred in San Juan, Puerto Rico, earlier this summer. CBP officers removed 14 crewmembers from three vessels, and planned to pursue federal prosecution for one crewmember, officials said.
In the Miami case, Rafael Cayetano Blanco, 38, was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on a charge of unlawful sexual activity of a minor, an arrest report said. He is from Guatemala and also had an immigration hold lodged against him, NBC6 reported.
According to the arrest report, Cayetano Blanco worked on the MSC World America cruise ship as a lifeguard and the girl was a passenger.
On Aug. 16, they reportedly met on the ship and exchanged numbers. Later that night, she met him in his cabin and they had sex, the report said. They had sex again Aug. 19, police said.
Authorities detained Cayetano Blanco on Saturday, Aug. 22 when the ship arrived in Miami.
Cayetano Blanco told investigators he had sex with the teen and was arrested and booked into jail, the report said.
Reports of cruise ship employees possessing child porn isn’t a new problem. In 2024, three Disney Cruise Line workers were nabbed at Port Everglades and charged with downloading pornographic material, USA Today reported.
Another case out of New Orleans led to a federal grand jury indictment in August 2024. Three Carnival Cruise Line employees, two from India and one from Indonesia, were each charged for possession of child sexual abuse material.
They were arrested in July 2024 by HSI special agents after all three were found in possession of child sexual abuse material at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
