A total of 294 Filipino seafarers have been deported by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since the Trump administration intensified its crackdown on migrants, according to Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy-Philippines (CMA).
Sana said the figure had risen from the 270 cases documented during a forum for affected seafarers in September, as additional deportations and visa revocations were reported in recent weeks.
The crackdown has also expanded beyond arrests aboard cruise ships and detentions at U.S. ports and airports. In several cases, Filipino seafarers already back in the Philippines received notices via email informing them that their U.S. visas had been revoked, effectively preventing them from working on vessels that call on American ports.
Sana said the 294 cases may represent only a fraction of those affected, as the tally covers seafarers who sought assistance from CMA and the Los Angeles-based migrant rights group Pilipino Workers Center (PWC).
The growing number of deportations has raised concerns among migrant advocates and maritime workers’ groups, who say the visa revocations and deportations have left many Filipino seafarers unemployed and effectively blacklisted from future jobs at sea.
According to data cited by Sen. Risa Hontiveros in a privilege speech delivered on September 21, documented cases involved 171 seafarers, including several non-Filipino nationals, across 28 vessels, eight cruise lines, 10 ports of call and three airports. Among the locations where CBP personnel allegedly apprehended seafarers were ports and entry points in Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Texas and Michigan.
Among those affected is Timothy John Marquez, a waiter from Antique assigned to the Ruby Princess cruise ship, who said he was detained and deported by CBP in April after authorities boarded the vessel in San Diego.
Marquez told BusinessMirror that he and four other Filipino crew members were taken off the ship, handcuffed and interrogated before being accused of accessing child pornography, an allegation he denied. He said authorities refused to show any evidence and denied requests to contact a lawyer or a representative of the Philippine Embassy.
‘They told us we were already illegal aliens and that CBP had the right to deport us,’ Marquez said, recalling how officers allegedly pressured some of the seafarers to sign documents that were not fully explained to them.
Marquez said the experience left him unemployed for months. Despite repeatedly applying for jobs with shipping companies and land-based employers, he has yet to secure a new position.
‘The manning agencies may still consider us, but when it reaches the principals, they no longer want us,’ he said.
The issue has also reached the Senate, where Hontiveros called for a full accounting of the deportations and stronger government intervention to protect Filipino seafarers.
Citing a report by CMA and PWC, Hontiveros said Filipino seafarers were allegedly arrested, detained and deported without legal representation and due process, while their 10-year U.S. visas were revoked despite not being formally charged.
‘Mr. President, hindi ito isa o dalawang isolated cases,’ Hontiveros said during her privilege speech.
The senator said many of the affected workers shared similar experiences. Their electronic devices were allegedly confiscated and searched, they were asked to sign documents they did not understand, denied communication with their families and, in some cases, handcuffed and deprived of food for extended periods before being placed on flights back to Manila.
‘At pagdating mo sa Pilipinas, hindi pa tapos ang problema,’ Hontiveros said. ‘Because their U.S. visas had been revoked, some manning agencies refused to hire these seafarers again, even for routes that do not enter the United States.’
The senator warned that the deportations had evolved into an employment crisis for many maritime workers, whose families depend on remittances from overseas jobs.
‘So what began as a detention abroad becomes something much bigger. Nawalan ka na ng visa. Nawalan ka pa ng trabaho,’ she said.
According to Sana, deportation from the United States carries consequences far beyond the loss of access to the country.
She said affected seafarers often find themselves unable to obtain contracts with shipping companies because employers become wary once they discover a worker’s U.S. visa has been revoked. Several seafarers who had already advanced in recruitment processes were reportedly dropped after disclosing their deportation records.
‘Even outside the U.S., they are finding it difficult to board vessels again,’ Sana said.
The CMA and PWC have been documenting the cases since April 2025 and assisting affected workers in seeking legal, financial and psychosocial support.
In a statement supporting a protest by Filipino seafarers in San Diego, CMA accused CBP of carrying out arbitrary arrests, detention, deportation and visa revocations against Filipino crew members. The group questioned whether due process was observed and called on U.S. authorities to uphold migrant workers’ rights.
The organization urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and CBP to observe due process, notify Philippine consular officials of arrests or detentions involving Filipinos, provide access to legal counsel and communication with families, ensure humane conditions in detention facilities, and compensate workers who were deported without due process.
The group also urged manning agencies and ship principals to provide financial and psychosocial support to affected workers and consider deploying them to vessels that do not call on U.S. ports.
Hontiveros likewise called on the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Foreign Affairs to account fully for the cases and strengthen mechanisms for immediate consular intervention whenever Filipino seafarers are detained abroad.
‘We need a clear accounting of the Filipino seafarers affected. We need to know whether consular notification occurred in each case, what assistance was provided, what became of their confiscated devices, and what remedies remain available to them,’ the senator said.
She also urged the government to help affected seafarers find work on non-U.S. routes and ensure that a visa cancellation does not become a de facto blacklist that destroys a worker’s maritime career.
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafarers, with many employed on cruise vessels that regularly call on U.S. ports. Sana said the deportation cases have devastated families who invested heavily in maritime careers only to see their livelihoods suddenly disrupted.
‘These workers were not convicted of any crime, yet their lives and careers have been severely affected,’ she said.
BusinessMirror has reached out to the departments of Foreign Affairs, Migrant Workers, and the U.S. Embassy in Manila for comment.