An explosive Phoenix New Times investigation alleged two Motel 6 locations in Arizona were leaving the light on so Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could arrest guests motel employees thought to be undocumented, resulting in at least 20 arrests between February and August without any arrests at surrounding motels during that same period.
Initially, management refused to comment, but a front desk employee told the Phoenix New Times that “unofficially … employees at both locations said it was standard practice to share guest information with ICE.” Following outcry from the ACLU to a coleslaw fan account, Motel 6 basically confirmed the accusation that hotel employees had been moonlighting as federal immigration agents:
Phoenix New Times: “Couple of quick points: One, Motel 6 is not denying that it had been sharing guest information with ICE, which is interesting. Two, we can only assume that ‘When we became aware of it last week’ translates to ‘After you asked us about this repeatedly.’”
The news outlet—which has done years of stellar reporting on the lawless Joe Arpaio throughout his reign of terror and subsequent conviction for criminal contempt of court—had some follow-ups:
• If this was something that was "implemented at the local level," then why did local management tell us to get in touch with the corporate PR team when we asked about it?
• What precisely did the old policy entail, and what aspects of it have been discontinued? If an ICE agent shows up without a warrant and asks to take a look at that night's guest list, will the front desk clerk give it to them? Will ICE be allowed to conduct surveillance in and around the motel? Likewise, if an individual Motel 6 employee alerts ICE about a guest who they suspect to be present in the country illegally, will they be disciplined?
• Why exactly was Motel 6 collaborating with ICE in the first place?
And, another question is what will happen to the mystery “button” from this choice quote from a Motel 6 employee: “We send a report every morning to ICE—all the names of everybody that comes in. Every morning at about 5 o’clock, we do the audit and we push a button and it sends it to ICE.” Is this a part of your computer reservation system, Motel 6? Or anti-immigrant employees with ICE on speed dial? We have questions.
At least for many brown people, the damage has been done and staying at a motel with a documented history of turning over brown guests to federal immigration agents will now be out of the question.