Four crew members of the Carnival Pride were detained and deported by U.S. immigration authorities while the ship was docked in Baltimore, according to advocate groups that held a press conference in the city on Sept. 14.
Three of the crew members were from the Philippines and one was from Indonesia, said Malaya Movement Baltimore, a group that advocates for human rights in the Philippines. Authorities detained the employees on Sept. 7 and questioned them for drug possession and child pornography, according to the organization, which cited Marino PH, a Philippines-based maritime group, as its source of information.
There were reports of similar accusations during raids in Norfolk, Va., where Carnival Sunshine crew members were detained in July, according to coverage of a rally organized by activists from the Pilipino Workers Center.
"This is a law-enforcement matter of which we always cooperate, and we defer to the authorities for further comment," said a Carnival Cruise Line spokesman.
Earlier this year, crew members from Great Lakes operators Victory Cruise Lines, Pearl Seas Cruises and Viking were reportedly detained.