When families board a Disney cruise ship, most are ecstatically happy to be met with all sorts of activities and onboard attractions designed to make their Disney dreams come to life. It’s really scary to think that some individuals who work on these cruise ships really have no right to be around these families. Multiple Disney cruise employees were led off a ship by US Customs and Border Protection as a part of a child sexual exploitation materials investigation in late April of 2026. Twenty-eight people were detained after boarding eight cruise ships docked in San Diego.
Shocked passengers watched as staffers were escorted from a Disney cruise ship.
According to Variety, employees on a Disney cruise ship docked in San Diego were among 28 people arrested by US Customs and Border Protection as a part of a child sexual exploitation material operation.
Between April 23 and April 27, the agency boarded eight cruise ships as part of its investigation, per KGTV. In a statement sent to the news outlet on May 6, 2026, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson shared: “After boarding the vessels and interviewing 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one suspected crew member from Portugal, and one from Indonesia, officers confirmed that 27 of the 28 subjects were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography.”
The agency noted that these suspects have had their visas cancelled and have been returned to the country of their citizenship, per KGTV.
Prior to the news breaking, several immigration groups were alarmed at what they were seeing.
According to KGTV, a passenger who was aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship alerted immigration groups in April about what she saw while the ship was docked and disembarking.
The video taken by passenger Dharmi Mehta appears to show at least four agency officers detaining several Disney cruise employees with their hands behind their backs. Mehta said the Disney employees were still in full uniform when she saw them being escorted off the ship.
Mehta decided to notify Union del Barrio, a local immigration advocacy group, according to KGTV. The union held a news conference alongside a few other community groups, demanding answers about the whereabouts of the employees.
The Disney cruise company has given a statement about the investigation.
Variety reported that the agency has not released any names of the workers arrested in connection to this investigation.
A spokesperson for Disney Cruise Line issued the following statement to Variety: “We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement. While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company.”
The other cruise ships involved in the operation have not been disclosed by Customs and Border Protection, Variety reported.
We hope any children and families directly involved in this heinous case get the justice and support they so deserve.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
