BBM asked to demand reinstatement of visas of deported Pinoy seafarers

 

The militant group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the administration of President Bong Bong Marcos, Jr. to act on the continued deportations by the US of Filipino seafarers working on cruise ships. A total of 127 have been deported on trumped up charges of child pornography according to the US-based Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), which is spearheading the effort to support the Filipino seafarers.

 

“BBM should stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the rights of Filipino seafarers by demanding the reinstatement of their revoked working visas. Our kababayans are simply trying to earn a living but have fallen victim to Trump’s war on immigrants and migrant workers,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary general.

 

In the latest incident documented by PWC, four Filipino crew of the cruise ship Jewel of the Seas that was docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida were arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and then deported. Deportation meant that their US working visas were revoked and they could not return to the US for 10 years.

 

Earlier on August 23, two Filipinos along with one Indonesia crew of the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine were taken for questioning by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The two Filipinos were released but not after being subjected to questioning for purported possession of child pornography videos on their cell phones. After this incident a wave of arrests and deportations followed.

 

According to PWC, the following were the latest incidents:

 

• July 9 & 11, 2025 – 13 Filipinos deported from Victory I and Victory II cruise ships, home port: Chicago’s Navy Pier.
• August 23, 2025 – 3 Filipinos from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• August 30, 2025 – 4 individuals arrested (3 Filipinos and 1 Serbian), with 1 Filipino confirmed deported, Carnival Sunshine, Norfolk, Virginia.
• September 1, 2025 – 4 Filipinos deported from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, port: Port Canaveral, Florida.
• September 6, 2025 – 4 Carnival Sunshine crew members deported, Norfolk, Virginia.
• September 7, 2025 – 5 deported (4 Filipinos and 1 Indonesian) from Carnival Pride, port: Baltimore, Maryland.
• September 14, 2025 – 1 Filipino deported from Carnival Sunshine, Norfolk, Virginia.
• September 26, 2025 - 4 Filipinos deported from Jewel of the Seas, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

PM has been coordinating with PWC to extend solidarity with the Filipino seafarers. PM member and lawyer Ian Seruelo is assisting on the US side while PM organizers are helping the cause of Filipino seafarers who have been deported back to the Philippines.

 

“The case of Korean migrant workers reveal that it is possible to stand up to Trump,” according to Miranda. Some 300 Korean workers employed in a Korean-owned electric vehicle battery factory were arrested by officers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early September in Georgia, USA. This became a big issue in Korea because the workers who were deported were handcuffed and detained for hours. Korean businesses threatened to hold their investments in the US and as a result, the Trump administration apologized and promised to not blacklist the workers.

 

Miranda concluded that “Migrant workers in the US—whether Filipinos or Koreans—are being treated like criminals by the Trump regime. We call on migrant-sending countries to come together in defense of workers’ rights.”