Jose Martinez, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, says federal agents entered his cruise cabin before sunrise on Jan. 5 and handcuffed him as the ship docked in Miami. He was held in a ship holding area for roughly 90 minutes, fingerprinted and questioned before being released when agents said they had the wrong person. Martinez and his wife say officers relied on his common Hispanic name and offered no apology; Carnival deferred to authorities and ICE had not commented.
Veteran’s 50th-Birthday Cruise Turns Traumatic After Border Agents Burst Into Cabin, Wrongfully Detain Him
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Jose Martinez, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, says his 50th-birthday cruise celebration ended in shock and confusion when federal agents entered his cabin and briefly detained him after the ship docked in Miami on Jan. 5.
What Martinez Says Happened
Martinez told local outlets that he was celebrating with his wife, Tamara Verhas, and a friend when three armed agents entered his cabin before sunrise as the ship prepared to disembark. He said officers shone flashlights into the room, yelled his name and commands, pushed him against a wall, and put him in handcuffs.
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"There were flashlights in our faces... telling me to get out of bed," Martinez recalled to KOLD. "They put me up against the wall and handcuffed me."
The agents escorted Martinez to a holding area on the ship, where he says he was detained for about 90 minutes. During that time he repeatedly offered identification and told agents about his Coast Guard service. He says agents fingerprinted him and questioned him further before ultimately releasing him and saying they had apprehended the wrong person.
Allegations About Evidence And Response
Martinez told 12 News that the detention appeared to be based on his first and last name, which he described as a common Hispanic name. He said officers offered no apology after acknowledging the mistake.
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Verhas told multiple outlets she attempted to record the incident but that a female agent seized her phone and deleted the video; she says the phone was returned only after the footage was removed. Both Martinez and his wife described the episode as disorienting and traumatizing.
Agency And Cruise Line Statements
PEOPLE reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Carnival Cruise Line told PEOPLE it was aware that U.S. Customs and Border Protection took a guest into custody "as a person of interest" and that the company would defer questions to the appropriate authorities.
Broader Concerns
Martinez and his wife framed the incident as an example of how mistaken identity or reliance on incomplete information can have serious emotional consequences. "There is so many other people out there that this is happening to... It's unnecessary. It's dehumanizing," Martinez told ABC15.
Sources: Reports from KOLD, ABC15, 12 News and PEOPLE.
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