NORFOLK, Va. — The Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), a Los Angeles-based labor advocacy group, says four Filipino seafarers were deported this week after being detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers who boarded the Carnival Sunshine in Norfolk on Sunday, Aug. 17.

According to PWC, one of the deported workers contacted the organization shortly before the removal. The crew members were taken off the ship that morning, placed in CBP custody, and held overnight at the Delta Hotel under private security. By 11:15 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18, they were transported by shuttle to the airport and placed on a flight out of the United States.

PWC’s executive director is now in the Philippines working with government officials there to respond to the situation.

The Virginia-based Hamka

See Full Page