09/13/2025
On September 7, Marino PH reported that 4 Carnival Pride crew members, of which 3 were Filipino and 1 was Indonesian, were detained and deported without due process while docked in Baltimore. In the process, one of the seafarers describes being questioned for possession of drugs in the cabin, and then forced to leave the ship without due process. Seafarers describe being subject to questioning and coercion into a false confession under duress about a charge of “child pornography”.
ICE and DHS have employed the same harassment and targeting tactics to deport close to 100 documented and lawfully working Filipino seafarers out of Norfolk and other ports over the past year. Reports from the community indicate that the CBP and ICE are specifically targeting Filipinos, who make up 30% of the world’s seafarers overall.
This press conference is hosted by Tanggol Migrante Movement organizations and allies on the same morning that Carnival Pride is returning to Baltimore. The movement, composed of organizations across the country dedicated to defending Filipinos and all migrants, is angered by this targeted attack on migrant workers in violation of due process.
The formation is asking Congress and local Baltimore politicians to investigate and advocate for the rights and welfare of Filipino seafarers.
We are also calling on Carnival Cruise Line to defend its workers. Moreover, TMM is holding the Philippine government accountable to use its diplomatic power to carry out a thorough and impartial investigation, file a formal diplomatic protest, as well as provide support and assistance to the deported seafarers.
