The Trump administration’s widening immigration enforcement in the United States has led to gruelling grilling and mass deportations of Filipino seafarers over unproven child pornography accusations, sparking calls for transparency and justice from labour advocacy groups.
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Marcelo Morales was resting in his cabin on the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine docked at Norfolk, Virginia, when two armed agents of the US Customs and Border Protection picked him up for an “interview” on June 28.
“I spent around three hours in interrogation, where they were forcing me to admit that I was watching child pornography. I vehemently denied that I watch that kind of content,” Morales told This Week in Asia.
“They told me that it was better for me to go home to the Philippines and be with my family, instead of being imprisoned in the US for five to 10 years with a US$250,000 fine,” said Morales, who worked as a cook on the luxury ship operated by the Carnival Cruise Line.
Morales was cleared to return to the ship after he pledged to cooperate with the authorities, who later knocked on his door for further questioning.
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“The CBP agents asked me if I knew the difference between the bodies of an adult lady and a young lady,” Morales said, adding he declined to answer as he feared “they would use my answer against me” and told them that he believed “bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit”.