U.S. Customs and Border Protection says 28 cruise ship crew members were detained during an enforcement operation at the Port of San Diego last month, including some employees from Disney Cruise Line ships.

According to CBP, 27 of the 28 individuals were allegedly involved in the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of child sexual abuse material.

Authorities said the crew members’ visas were revoked and they are being returned to their home countries. No criminal charges have been publicly announced.

The operation took place between April 23 and April 27, according to federal authorities.

CBP said 26 of the detained workers were from the Philippines, while the others were from Portugal and Indonesia.

Disney Cruise Line Responds to Crew Member Detentions

Disney Cruise Line confirmed that some of its crew members were involved in the operation.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement,” the company said in a statement. “While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company.”

Video recorded by passengers aboard Disney Magic showed federal agents escorting several crew members off the ship with zip-tie restraints during the operation.

Immigrant rights group Unión del Barrio criticized the detentions and called for more information from federal authorities. Group leader Benjamin Prado said the organization was waiting for official statements from ICE and CBP rather than relying solely on media reports.

The organization also claimed that crew members from a Holland America Line ship were detained during the operation, though the cruise line has not publicly confirmed the reports.

The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles also issued a statement expressing concern over the detention of Filipino nationals while acknowledging the authority of U.S. officials to vet individuals entering the country through ports of entry.

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The Canary Islands are making preparations to receive nearly 150 cruise ship guests and crew still aboard a virus-hit ship in the Atlantic.

Spain’s Health Ministry said the vessel is expected to arrive within three to four days, at which point passengers and crew will be examined, treated, and transferred to their respective countries.

Three people, a German and two Dutch nationals, died during the expedition ship MV Hondius’ sailing from South America to Cape Verde, where officials did not allow passengers to disembark.

Health officials have confirmed at least two cases of hantavirus, with five additional suspected cases, and say the virus may have been directly transmitted among humans.

Sick Crew Members Expected to Be Airlifted Off the Ship

Hantavirus is primarily transmitted through contact with infected rodent droppings or urine. Before the ship departs for the Canary Islands, authorities will determine which passengers require urgent evacuation while still in Cape Verde.

The ship’s doctor, described as being in serious condition, was expected to be evacuated on Tuesday on a medical flight to the Canary Islands, Spain’s Health Ministry said.

“This intervention aims to assess the condition of the people on board, determine whether there are additional symptomatic individuals, and identify high- and low-risk contacts.

This will inform decisions on repatriation procedures and the ship’s route,” the Spanish Health Ministry posted on social media.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government is putting “plans in place for the safe onward travel” for 19 British guests aboard the ship.

Operator Oceanwide Expeditions said another 17 are Americans and 13 are Spanish citizens. Most crew members come from the Philippines.

A British national who fell ill after the ship left St. Helena is now hospitalized at a private medical facility in South Africa and is reported to be improving, according to the World Health Organization.

In an update, the WHO said the “risk to the general public is low,” but that human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out. If confirmed, such transmission would be exceedingly rare.

“We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention.

A similar hantavirus outbreak occurred at Yosemite National Park in 2012. Ten people became ill and three died.

Three passengers have died and at least three others are ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, an expedition cruise ship currently anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. The World Health Organization confirmed the situation Sunday.

Of the six symptomatic individuals, just one case of hantavirus infection has been confirmed in a laboratory so far, while the other five are suspected cases, the WHO said.

Two crew members, one British and one Dutch national, are currently experiencing acute respiratory symptoms requiring urgent care, according to ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

Dutch couple among the dead

Two of the deceased were a married couple. A 70-year-old Dutch man died onboard on April 11 and was declared dead on arrival to the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena on April 24. His 69-year-old wife collapsed at Johannesburg’s international airport while attempting to fly home to the Netherlands and died there.

Oceanwide Expeditions said at the time that it had not confirmed whether the couple’s deaths were connected to the onboard outbreak.

The third victim was a German national, although the official cause of death has not been established, Oceanwide said.

One confirmed hantavirus case

After the ship left Saint Helena, a British national fell sick on April 27. He is now in critical condition at a private medical facility in Johannesburg and is the only case confirmed to be hantavirus, according to South Africa’s Health Department. The UK’s Foreign Office said it is monitoring the situation and is in touch with the cruise company and local authorities.

Oceanwide Expeditions said 149 people remain onboard, including 17 Americans. They will not be allowed to disembark in Cape Verde, the island nation’s health minister told Radio Cabo Verde. The ship is considering sailing to Las Palmas or Tenerife in the Canary Islands for disembarkation.

How hantavirus spreads

Hantavirus is most commonly spread when infected rodents’ urine, saliva, or droppings dry out and become airborne, and humans become infected by inhaling the contaminated particles, according to the WHO. There is no dedicated treatment or cure, though early detection improves the odds of survival. Unlike norovirus, which is commonly reported on cruise ships, hantavirus cases at sea are essentially unheard of.

The WHO stressed there is no need for alarm. “The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge said.

“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew,” the WHO said.

The MV Hondius, operated by Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia, Argentina and made stops in Antarctica and Saint Helena before anchoring off Cape Verde. The ship has a passenger capacity of 170.

Alaska’s Goldbelt Tram, located beside Juneau’s downtown cruise dock, will remain closed for several days after two employees were hospitalized following an accident at the base station.

The incident happened just days after the 2026 Juneau cruise season got underway.

No cruise passengers were involved

A cable car came into the base station faster than expected, injuring two staff members who were later taken to the hospital. One was unconscious at the scene, but both were released over the weekend.

Goldbelt confirmed five employees were aboard the tram at the time and no cruise guests were present. The three other staffers did not require medical treatment.

Capital City Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, saying it “successfully stabilized the cabin and gained access to all occupants.”

The tram remained closed Friday and is not expected to reopen for several days. Director of Operations and Facilities Ben Moorhead said representatives from the lift manufacturer and state safety officials are traveling to Juneau to assess the situation.

“It came in faster than anticipated, and docked at a higher rate of speed,” Moorhead said. He added that coordination is underway with the lift manufacturer to determine what happened and make necessary repairs.

Tram ride is a popular shore activity for cruisers

The Goldbelt Tram is one of Juneau’s most popular attractions for cruise guests. It carries riders 1,800 feet up Mount Roberts, offering panoramic views of downtown Juneau and the Gastineau Channel.

At the top, visitors can explore hiking trails, a bar and grill, a gift shop and a theater.

The closure comes at the start of what is already a closely watched season.

The 2026 Juneau cruise season began just days ago with the arrival of Holland America Line’s Eurodam and marks the first year operating under new daily cruise passenger limits.

A cruise ship guest was pronounced dead off the California coast after falling from a stateroom balcony.

The woman, who hasn’t been named yet, went over the balcony and landed on a deck below. It is unclear how far she fell.

Woman fell from balcony onto a lower deck

It marks the third overboard or fall death on cruise ships in just two weeks. She was a guest on the Carnival Firenze which was sailing near Catalina Island when the incident occurred. The woman’s family raised the alarm with ship crew.

“All appropriate authorities have been alerted. As is customary, law enforcement will board the ship today on Catalina Island to conduct the required investigation,” the cruise line said earlier.

“Carnival’s Care Team is supporting the guest’s family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told the media the FBI is handling the investigation. The circumstances leading up to the fall have not been disclosed by authorities.

Carnival Firenze is on a short Baja Mexico cruise roundtrip from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. Catalina Island is situated about 20 miles from Los Angeles. The ship left the island and visits Ensenada, Mexico today before returning to Long Beach on April 30. The ship has capacity for more than 5,000 guests.

Third cruise ship fall in the past two weeks

This incident comes days after a Norwegian Cruise Line crew member went overboard off the coast of Massachusetts. According to surveillance video footage, the Norwegian Breakaway employee fell into the sea around 12 miles off Cape Cod at the weekend.

A large-scale US Coast Guard air and sea search operation was conducted but suspended several hours later without success.

The incident led to a delay in embarkation for the next voyage out of Boston on Sunday. “These efforts required the vessel’s full attention before the voyage could safely resume toward Boston,” NCL said in an update to new departing guests.

“Situations such as these are never easy, and the safety and wellbeing of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make.”

Just a week earlier, a Carnival Splendor guest in his 70s went overboard off the coast of Brisbane, Australia, which the cruise line says was a deliberate jump based on CCTV footage.

A days-long search operation took place and he too is now presumed dead. There have been six reported overboard incidents so far in 2026.