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This week, a story surfaced that’s been rippling through cruise forums, Reddit threads, and mainstream news. Joey Martinez, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, was detained by ICE onboard a Carnival Cruise ship.
Who Is Jose Martinez?
Jose “Joey” Martinez is a U.S. citizen and Coast Guard veteran from Phoenix, Arizona. He and his wife, Tamara Verhas, were celebrating his 50th birthday on a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean.
By all accounts, the trip itself was going smoothly. That changed on the final morning, as the ship returned to the Port of Miami.
The Early Morning Raid
According to Martinez and his wife, around 6.30 am, several armed federal agents dressed in black entered their stateroom without warning.
Flashlights were shone directly in their faces. Commands were shouted. Martinez says he was ordered out of bed, pushed against the wall, and handcuffed while still in his pyjamas.
He was then escorted off the ship in front of other passengers.
It’s worth being precise here. Some reports identify the officers as ICE agents, while others say they were U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. What is confirmed is that they were federal law enforcement agents operating at a U.S. port of entry.
Detained at the Port of Miami
After being removed from the ship, Martinez was taken to a holding area near the port.
He described the space as sparse, with a steel bench, where he waited while officers worked to confirm his identity. He was held for around 90 minutes.
Extremely important detail here: despite having a valid U.S. passport, Real ID, and veteran identification, Martinez says officers continued their checks, including fingerprint verification.
Eventually, agents determined they had the wrong person.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Multiple outlets report that the detention appears to have been caused by a name match. Jose Martinez is a common name, and authorities allegedly believed he matched someone else of interest.
Once that error was identified, he was released.
Martinez says he received only a brief apology before being allowed to leave.
“I’ve never committed a crime,” he told reporters. “I’m a law-abiding citizen. I’m a veteran.”
What Carnival and Authorities Have Said
Carnival Cruise Line has acknowledged that a guest was taken into custody by federal authorities but has offered little additional detail, citing that it was a law enforcement matter.
Federal agencies have not publicly explained why the situation escalated to a cabin entry and handcuffing, nor have they clarified which agency led the operation.
That lack of transparency is one reason the story has struck a nerve with cruisers.
Carnival’s full statement can be found here.
Why This Story Hit So Hard
Cruisers are used to immigration checks. We expect passport scans, facial recognition, and customs questions when returning to U.S. ports.
What feels different here is the method.
Being woken up by armed officers, detained without explanation, and removed from a ship despite being a U.S. citizen is not something most people imagine as part of the cruise experience.
It’s also important to say this clearly. Incidents like this are extremely rare. Millions of people cruise in and out of U.S. ports every year without anything remotely similar happening.
But rare doesn’t mean impossible.
What Can We Take Away From This
This situation is unsettling, but it does highlight a few realities about cruising from U.S. ports.
First, once a ship docks, it becomes a port of entry, and federal authorities have broad legal powers.
Second, cruise lines share passenger manifest data with U.S. authorities before arrival. If a name is flagged, it can trigger further action.
And finally, mistaken identity can happen, especially with common names, even when you’ve done everything right.
