- United States
- Texas
- Letter
Investigate CBP's Mass Deportation of Filipino Sailors Without Charges
To: Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Cruz, Rep. Self
From: A verified voter in Princeton, TX
June 10
Investigate and halt CBP's deportation of Filipino seafarers who are accused but never charged with any crime. Since 2025, more than 212 Filipino mariners have been deported from U.S. ports — Baltimore, San Diego, Port Canaveral — with their visas revoked and zero criminal charges filed. That is not law enforcement. That is punishment without due process.
NPR documented the pattern in detail: CBP agents board ships in the morning, interrogate sailors, and within 24 hours those men are on planes to Manila. Michael James Garcia, a marine engineer with Viking Ocean Cruises, was told his email was linked to a CSAM website, never charged with anything, and handed a 10-year ban from the United States. These sailors return home unable to find work because staffing agencies treat them as convicted criminals — even though no conviction ever happened. If the government has evidence of child exploitation, it must prosecute. Deportation without charges is not justice; it is a way to avoid accountability for the accusation itself.