PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 A Valley couple says a dream vacation turned into a nightmare after immigration agents detained the husband on a cruise ship. <\/p>\n
Jose Martinez said he was taken into custody on a Carnival cruise ship Monday morning. He and his wife, Tamara Verhas, are U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n
The couple says three armed agents dressed in black busted into their stateroom before sunrise, handcuffing Martinez.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlashlights in our faces, screaming my name, barking commands, telling me to get out of bed, put me up against the wall and handcuffed me,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Martinez, a Coast Guard veteran, said he was escorted off the ship and taken to a concrete holding cell at the Port of Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a steel bench in the back of the room that I sat on waiting for them to verify my identity,\u201d Martinez said. <\/p>\n
He says the wait lasted 1.5 hours before he was finally released, without an apology. Martinez was told someone with his same name had warrants out for his arrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never committed a crime, so much as maybe a traffic infraction, a speeding ticket,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cI\u2019m a law-abiding citizen. I\u2019m a veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n
The incident happened at the end of a nine-day Caribbean cruise to celebrate Martinez\u2019s and a friend\u2019s birthdays.<\/p>\n
Both Martinez and Verhas described the experience as traumatizing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just very disorientating, traumatizing, and I wouldn\u2019t wish it upon anybody,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who are supposed to keep you safe violated us, and that\u2019s a hard thing to live with,\u201d Verhas said.<\/p>\n
The couple wants someone to be held accountable and apologize for what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if you\u2019re a migrant, citizen, or veteran. I think I\u2019ve told everybody, it doesn\u2019t matter that I am a veteran, that I\u2019m an American citizen. I wouldn\u2019t wish this upon anybody,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
In a statement, a Carnival Cruise Line Spokesperson said they are aware U.S. Customs and Border Protection took a guest into custody as a person of interest.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe are aware that U.S. Customs and Border Protection took a guest into custody as a person of interest. As this is a law\u2011enforcement matter, we defer all further questions to the appropriate authorities.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Neither CBP nor ICE responded to our request for comment. <\/p>\n
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