A total of 11 foreign nationals have been arrested by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of “Operation Tidal Wave” for crimes against children, including receiving and distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
The operation took place from August 14-16, 2026, with the actual arrest at the Port of Boston. In addition to CBP, the operation was coordinated with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Boston, HSI Fort Lauderdale, and the CBP Fort Lauderdale Human Trafficking Unit.
The crew members were arrested onboard their ships when the vessels docked in Boston: Holland America Line’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway.
Volendam is currently offering departures from both Montreal and Boston. The 1,837-guest ship was in Boston on August 15 after an 8-day itinerary that departed Montreal on August 8 and included multiple port visits in Canada as well as a stop in Portland, Maine.
Norwegian Breakaway was in Boston on August 16 following an 8-day roundtrip voyage to Halifax, Nova Scotia and King’s Wharf, Bermuda. The 3,903-guest ship is homeported from Boston through early November 2026.
There is no indication that cruise ship operations were impacted in any way by the arrests and there were no delays to the ships’ next sailings.
No breakdown has been provided about how many crew members were arrested from which ship. Of the arrested individuals, nine are citizens of the Philippines, one is a citizen of Nicaragua, and one is a citizen of Indonesia. No names or other information has been disclosed, including their positions onboard either ship.
Before the arrest, the crew members’ quarters and electronic devices were thoroughly searched. The US Attorney’s Office was also consulted, and ultimately, all 11 crew members were processed for removal from the US under the Immigration and Nationality Act for “crimes involving moral turpitude.” They will be deported from the US, likely back to their home countries.
“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 Julio Caravia, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office.
“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,” said HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “Together, we leverage our unique authorities to seek justice for children victimized and exploited across the globe.”
Multiple Arrests at Different Cruise Homeports
Operation Tidal Wave is an ongoing, multiagency initiative headed by the CBP and HSI agents of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The operation is targeted at cruise ship crew members and any association with possession, use, obtaining, producing, or distributing materials related to child sexual exploitation or abuse.
Two previous phases of the operation earlier in 2026 have resulted in charges and arrests for more than 40 crew members from nine different ships.
Phase 1 was in San Diego in April 2026, when 27 crew members were arrested from six different ships. They were all returned to their home countries. Cruise Hive reported on part of that phase of the operation as guests witnessed crew members arrested from Disney Magic.
The second phase of the operation was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June and July, when 14 crew members were removed from three ships, and one crew member was arrested for federal prosecution.
