ICE Burst Into His Cruise Stateroom at 6:45 AM — All Due to a Identify

One latest visitor of Carnival Cruise Line ended a birthday cruise with a gift no one needs – getting wrongfully detained by brokers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jose Martinez, who’s a US Coast Guard Veteran and most positively a US citizen, was onboard together with his spouse, Tamara Verhas, and a number of other others to rejoice each his birthday and the birthday of a detailed pal.

All was nicely till the ship returned to Miami, Florida, on the morning of January 5, 2026, to disembark a Caribbean cruise.

It’s not clear which particular vessel Martinez had been crusing on, however three Carnival ships have been within the busy port that day – together with Carnival Conquest, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Dawn.

Learn Additionally: Activists Protest Filipino Crew Deportations From Baltimore Cruise Ship

It was then {that a} misunderstanding over mistaken identification led to a traumatic encounter with ICE brokers for the Phoenix-based couple.

ICE Storms Into Stateroom

At roughly 6:45 a.m. on the morning of January 5, ICE brokers instantly burst into Martinez’s stateroom whereas the couple was nonetheless quick asleep.

“[The door] burst open. Three males got here in with flashlights shining them in our faces and giving us instructions,” Martinez advised 12 Information.

“They ordered me off the bed and put me in opposition to the wall, and handcuffed me. I had no thought what was happening. I used to be asking what this was about; it was a flurry of simply confusion,” he recalled.

Martinez tried to supply proof of identification, however per an interview with ABC 15 Arizona, these pleas fell on deaf ears.

His spouse additionally tried to movie the incident to doc the traumatic encounter, however her telephone was taken. When the machine was returned, the footage had been deleted.

Martinez was finally faraway from the cruise ship and detained in a holding cell in PortMiami.

He was fingerprinted and questioned for about an hour and a half earlier than brokers lastly let him go.

What Went Flawed?

Sadly for Marinez, this entire expertise happened on account of a case of mistaken identification.

The veteran advised ABC 15 Arizona that he had truly had earlier run-ins with ICE earlier than as a result of his identify is quite common within the Hispanic neighborhood, however by no means in such a dramatic or traumatizing approach.

Per the couple, Martinez was mistaken for one more individual with the identical identify who had a number of warrants out for his arrest.

“From what I perceive, all of this was based mostly off my first and final identify, a quite common Hispanic identify. They thought I used to be somebody who had warrants for drug trafficking or some type of offender,” Martinez mentioned.

After almost two hours, he was returned to the cruise terminal. Martinez alleges that he didn’t even get a easy apology for the ordeal he had been wrongfully pressured to endure.

US Customs and Border Safety haven’t commented publicly on the scenario.

Carnival Cruise Line Responds

The ICE brokers most certainly incorrectly flagged Martinez throughout a evaluate of the cruise ship’s manifest as a part of the usual customs course of.

The manifest comprises an in depth document of all passengers and crew members onboard, together with their birthdays and citizenship standing.

The brokers then would have coordinated with the cruise ship’s safety crew to achieve entry to their stateroom. Carnival complied with the requests of the authorities of their investigation.

“We’re conscious that U.S. Customs and Border Safety took a visitor into custody as an individual of curiosity. As it is a regulation‑enforcement matter, we defer all additional inquiries to the suitable authorities,” the cruise line mentioned in a public assertion.

It’s unclear if the cruise line has reached out to Martinez and his spouse following the detainment.