Attorney: Seven detained after disembarking cruise at Port Canaveral

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration led to a myriad of issues Sunday for a Port Canaveral family.

The family, which has ties to Syria, spent hours in customs after getting off a cruise ship.

The family’s attorney said the family was released more than six hours after they left the ship, without explanation from authorities.

Attorney Ruth Singer said she’s concerned about how the order is being applied, saying that there’s some confusion about its application, particularly when it comes to those holding green cards or other valid credentials.

“On Sunday, I received an email from them, basically a broadcast email for attorneys to go out to the port to assist some folks who had been detained coming off a cruise ship,” Singer said.

The email came from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, but when Singer arrived, she couldn’t get access to customs.

“All they said is that they were treated well, they weren’t treated disrespectfully, they were given food and drinks,” Singer said. “They just weren’t told anything about why they were being kept there.”

One of the detainees was a Jewish refugee from Syria who has lived in the country for 20 years. She was with her three children, who are U.S. citizens, Singer said.

Some of the cruise passengers called that situation unfortunate, but still support Trump’s executive order.

“We have to have more vetting or whatever they want to call it. There are too many people just walking into this country,” said Diane Hynes.

Others expressed concern.

“The way it’s written right now is pretty vague, and I think that’s the problem,” said Sue Johnson. “It’s so vague, a lot of people are going to be held up and dismissed out of hand when it shouldn’t be that way.”

The ACLU said Monday that it had no additional reports of anyone currently in custody, pursuant to the president’s order.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs was not immediately available for comment.

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean was not immediately available for comment on whether it has issued travel notices to those who have booked cruises.

Cox Media Group