ICE agents and federal border authorities have repeatedly insisted that their actions are about enforcement, not appearance or assumptions. However, incidents like what happened to Joey Martinez in Miami, Florida, have raised serious concerns about how easily U.S. citizens can be caught up in aggressive detention practices. Martinez, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and lifelong U.S. citizen, says his birthday vacation turned into a traumatic experience after he was mistakenly detained aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in the Port of Miami.
The veteran had traveled to Miami to celebrate his birthday with his wife, Tammy, expecting a routine and relaxing cruise. Instead, Martinez says the morning of the ship’s arrival in Miami began with officers entering his stateroom at approximately 6:48 a.m. while he was asleep. According to Martinez, the CBP officers came in suddenly and forcefully, pulling him out of bed, placing him in handcuffs, and escorting him away without offering any explanation about what was happening or where he was being taken.
Tammy attempted to record the encounter but her phone was taken from her during the incident. The veteran emphasized that he remained calm and fully compliant throughout the process, following all instructions given by the CBP officers. Despite that, he was removed from the ship in Miami and placed in an immigration holding cell, where he waited while authorities attempted to determine why he had been detained.
The Coast Guard veteran later learned that the entire situation stemmed from a name match. Martinez described himself as “the unfortunate victim of having the Hispanic equivalent of John Smith for a name,” explaining that his name matched someone else who allegedly had outstanding warrants. According to Martinez, only his name matched. His date of birth, identification numbers, and other personal details did not. Despite this, he was still detained in Miami without any prior verification.
Martinez claims Carnival Cruise Lines was aware of the name issue before the ship arrived in Miami but did not contact him or give him a chance to confirm his identity ahead of time. Instead, he says the decision was made to remove him first and resolve the error later. He added that even a CBP agent involved in the process admitted she was uncomfortable with how the situation unfolded.
After being fingerprinted and completing paperwork, Martinez was able to verify his identity using multiple official documents. He was eventually released without charges, without compensation, and without an apology. According to Martinez, he was told that using his full middle name in the future would “probably” prevent a similar situation from happening again. He stressed that this explanation did little to address the larger issue, especially considering he is a U.S. citizen, a Coast Guard veteran, and someone who has never committed a crime.
The veteran also expressed concern for his wife’s treatment during the ordeal. He said Tammy was left distraught and confused, unsure whether she would see him again as he was taken away in Miami. After his release, Martinez said Carnival staff were courteous but offered no apology, instead escorting him off the ship and telling him to enjoy the rest of his trip.
Internet users were outraged by what happened to the veteran in Miami and directed much of their anger toward Carnival Cruise Lines. “Time to boycott Carnival. Make your voice heard with where you spend your dollars. The faster Americans stop spending money and start halting the economy, the faster we will start to see some change,” one user said.
