Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained multiple workers from the Disney Magic cruise ship when it docked at the Port of San Diego on April 23, according to NBC 7. Passengers watched in shock as federal officers handcuffed several crew members and loaded them into a white van while the ship was still being unloaded.
About ten crew members from the Disney ship were taken into custody and another four from a Holland America ship were arrested just days later, according to immigration advocacy groups cited by the Daily Mail. The arrests are being seen as part of the broader Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration across the country.
What passengers saw on the ground?
Passenger Dharmi Mehta filmed the incident after disembarking from her five-day cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada. She told KGTV that she recognized one of the detained men as the waiter who had served her family throughout the trip. “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,” she said.
Mehta described the moment as “really unsettling” and said the workers did not appear to have their belongings with them when they were taken away. “So that was just my big concern like how is he gonna reach out to his family? Does the family even know that he’s not getting back on the ship today?” she told NBC 7.
Mehta later contacted Union del Barrio which is a local immigration advocacy group to report what she had witnessed.
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Why did it happen and who is responsible?
No official explanation has been given for why these specific workers were targeted. A maritime attorney told ABC 10 that agents “obviously had a reason to go there,” but added that it “could have been any number” of things.
Activists believe the detentions may be linked to broader immigration enforcement actions at workplaces. Benjamin Prado from Unión del Barrio said, “Now this forms part of a larger pattern of affecting raids and immigration detention in work sites,” as per KPBS.
There are also concerns about immigration status and documentation. According to Disney’s website, workers must meet requirements such as having valid passports, passing background and medical checks and obtaining proper visas.
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According to Daily Mail, Immigration advocates say the arrests are part of a much bigger trend. “This is not an isolated incident,” said Benjamin Prado from Union del Barrio. “In fact, it has become a growing pattern, not only here in San Diego but throughout this country.”
However, Port of San Diego was quick to distance itself from the incident. “The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department did not have any involvement in the reported enforcement actions on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal. We did not receive any calls for service related to these incidents,” a port spokesperson said, per NBC San Diego.
The spokesperson added that under California law, including SB 54, local harbor police do not handle immigration cases. Because the B Street Cruise Terminal is a federal entry point, only Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for immigration matters there.
