After relentless pressure from the Phoenix New Times and the public, Motel 6 executives finally admitted that employees at two of their Arizona locations had been moonlighting as federal immigration agents by siccing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on their brown guests. ICE agents swept up 20 people at the two locations during a period of six months … and none at surrounding motels during that same time. In a letter to acting ICE director Thomas Homan, Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego and Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal are demanding answers:
News reports indicate that ICE agents have been obtaining the names and room numbers of guests at two Phoenix-area hotels each morning at 5AM. Individuals staying at these hotels whom your agency suspected of being undocumented were then visited by agents – in many cases without a warrant – and subjected to questioning and possible arrest.
This tactic raises a number of grave concerns. It obviously has the potential to deter tourism to the State of Arizona, potentially leading to the loss of jobs and revenue. More importantly, instead of targeting your limited resources at individuals who pose a genuine threat to public safety, it appears that agents in Arizona have been operating an indiscriminant dragnet, reportedly aided by hotel managers. If true, this clearly demonstrates a preference on the part of ICE's leadership in Arizona for convenience and efficiency at the expense of due process or adherence to sensible enforcement priorities. It also raises alarming questions about ICE’s willingness to engage in racial profiling in the process of identifying and questioning suspects based on the Motel 6 guest lists. Further, it’s important to note that Motel 6 provides short-term accommodations to survivors of domestic violence and to people attending medical appointments at area hospitals.
“Randomly accosting Latino hotel guests is just the latest outrage from an agency empowered by President Trump to deport mothers and family breadwinners,” Rep. Gallego said in a statement. “We deserve to know who signed-off on this outrageous tactic and whether it’s being used by ICE agents in other parts of the country. Targeting discount hotels is a move straight from the Joe Arpaio playbook and it provides fresh evidence that it’s time for Congress to rein-in Donald Trump’s unaccountable, out-of-control immigration authorities.”
So far there’s been no explanation from Motel 6 as to who in these locations decided to implement this deplorable policy, how front desk workers concluded that their guests lacked legal status—other than the obvious racial profiling—who got guest information to ICE, and why this was any of Motel 6’s fucking business anyway. It’s not even clear anyone has been disciplined or fired.
A statement from G6 Hospitality, the company that owns the chain, issued a follow-up response to ThinkProgress indicating that they “will be issuing a directive to every one of our more than 1,400 locations nationwide, making clear that they are prohibited from voluntarily providing daily guest lists to ICE,” but addressed no other concerns.
“Consistent with our oversight responsibilities,” Reps. Gallego and Jayapal tell ICE, “we urgently request a full accounting of ICE actions connected to these reports, including”:
· The number of individuals apprehended at the two hotels in question and the disposition of their cases;
· Whether you or other ICE leaders in Washington were informed of the practice of combing hotel guest lists for undocumented immigrants and signed off on the use of this tactic;
· Whether this approach has been – or is currently – employed elsewhere; and,
· Any ICE guidance or memoranda pertaining to the use of so-called “knock-and-talk” operations at homes, businesses or hotels.
“Again, we urge you in the strongest possible terms to formally prohibit the random screening of hotel guests for the purpose of identifying suspected undocumented immigrants and to provide a clearer picture of precisely how and why this misguided tactic was employed.” According to ThinkProgress, “protests were already planned Friday for various Motel 6 locations in Florida and Texas, including its corporate headquarters in Carrollton, Texas.”