Key Aspects:
- Several Disney Magic crew members were arrested in San Diego by US Customs and Border Protection agents at the end of April.
- No official charges or the identities of those arrested have been released or confirmed.
- The incident was filmed by a guest on Disney Magic who recognized her head waiter as one being arrested.
Several crew members from Disney Magic were arrested by US Customs and Border Protection agents at the end of April while the ship was at her temporary San Diego homeport, but why?
10 News confirmed the arrests, which had been filmed by Dharmi Mehta. Mehta had been a guest onboard Disney Magic and believed one of the crew members arrested was the head waiter who had served her and her family during the 4-night sailing to Catalina and Ensenada.
Mehta recognized the server as he was still in his crew uniform. He and the others being detained did not appear to have any personal belongings with them as they were escorted to a white, unmarked van. The crew members were in restraints at the time.
“He was full in uniform, which was in a blazer, tie. Some of the other employees were still in their chef’s uniforms with their name tags on it,” Mehta said.
Less than an hour earlier, Mehta said the server had been completing their breakfast service.
The arrests occurred on Thursday, April 23, 2026. An immigration rights political group, Union del Barrio, noted that roughly 10 Disney Cruise Line employees were arrested on that date, followed by several crew members from Holland America Line’s Zandaam several days later.
No names or nationalities of the impacted crew members have been released. Disney Magic is home to roughly 950 crew members.
Union del Barrio and other local community groups held a press conference on the pier on Tuesday, May 5, to address their concerns. At the time, Disney Magic was no longer in port, as the 83,350-gross-ton ship had departed on April 27 to make her way to Vancouver to begin her season in Alaska.
Cruise Hive reported recently that Disney Cruise Line has now made a strong agreement with the Port of San Diego, pledging to roughly double sailings from the southern California homeport at least through 2031. Both Disney Magic and Disney Wonder will continue offering seasonal departures from San Diego.
Why Were the Crew Members Arrested?
There has been no official release or statement about why the Disney Cruise Line employees were arrested and detained. Local police departments were not involved in the arrests, and neither were port authorities.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does have full jurisdiction over ships docked in US ports, so it was not unauthorized for CBP agents to make the arrests.
Charges could vary from visa or paperwork issues to criminal activities such as theft or assault. In September 2025, two crew members from the new Disney Adventure were arrested during a refueling stop in Germany due to outstanding warrants concerning drunk driving and fraud charges.
Cruise lines will cooperate with state, federal, and local authorities, though they are not obligated to comment publicly on any pending charges or potential legal action.
Meanwhile, Union del Barrio is demanding that cruise lines take more steps to protect their employees and that there be greater transparency from federal agencies when such incidents occur.
The group describes itself as “an independent political organization” and has used terms such as “abduction” to describe the actions of CBP.
