Racially profiling your brown customers in order to report them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for arrest and possible deportation seems like a bad business plan, but apparently the Motel 6 chain didn’t get the memo. “Washington state's attorney general is suing Motel 6, saying workers handed over guest lists to federal immigration agents in violation of state privacy laws”:
The suit alleges that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement would visit Motel 6 locations in Washington and request a guest list from a receptionist without a warrant then try to find undocumented immigrants.
"Motel 6 staff observed ICE identify guests of interest to ICE, including by circling guests with Latino-sounding names," the lawsuit says. At least six guests were arrested or detained, Attorney General Bob Ferguson told reporters.
Ferguson said the privacy rights of more than 9,150 people who stayed at the national discount motel chain locations in Washington were violated. Information given to ICE included names of guests, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and license plate numbers, the lawsuit says.
"Motel 6's actions are disturbing and they are unlawful," he said.
According to the lawsuit, “Motel 6, which has 11 corporate-owned and 15 franchise-owned motels in Washington, trained its employees to provide the lists to ICE agents and have the agents sign a form.” With a September investigation finding that Motel 6 employees in Arizona were also reporting guests to ICE, how does this not add up to a mass deportation collaboration with ICE?
“Recent reports of Motel 6 combing guest lists for immigrants and turning over Latino names to ICE agents are deeply alarming,” said Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal in a statement with Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego. “With the Trump administration overseeing an out-of-control deportation force, it is up to leaders in every industry, including hotels, to be vigilant in adhering to the rule of law and ensuring equal protection for all.”
Washington state “alleges thousands of violations of the state's Consumer Protection Agency. The state seeks $2,000 per alleged violation, or at least $18 million”:
Motel 6 admitted six motels provided information to agents even though they didn't have warrants, Ferguson said. He told reporters that four of those locations informed his office about the 9,000-plus names, but he believes the total is incomplete.
Two other motels also didn't release the numbers of guests involved, so the figure of people affected will be significantly higher, he indicated.
Ferguson said Motel 6 told investigators that the other five corporate-owned units in the state didn't release guest lists to ICE.
What the other 15 Motel 6 locations did is part of an ongoing investigation, he said.
The attorney general gave an example of how the process worked.
Ferguson said ICE agents would arrive at the Motel 6 in south Everett either early in the morning or late at night and get a guest list.
"According to Motel 6 staff, the ICE agents circled any Latino or Latina sounding names on the guest registry and returned to their vehicles, presumably to run those names through a database," Ferguson said. He said this happened 228 times in 225 days at that Everett location in 2017, but the practice dates to 2015.
One person was taken into custody at the location, he said
In Arizona, a front desk employee told the Phoenix New Times last September that “unofficially … employees at both locations said it was standard practice to share guest information with ICE”:
“We send a report every morning to ICE — all the names of everybody that comes in,” one front-desk clerk explained. “Every morning at about 5 o’clock, we do the audit and we push a button and it sends it to ICE.”
According to USA Today, “In September, Motel 6 issued a directive to every one of our more than 1,400 locations, making it clear that they are prohibited from voluntarily providing daily guests lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Motel 6 takes this matter very seriously, and we have and will continue to fully cooperate with the Office of the State Attorney General.”
But apparently, Motel 6 and the people who trained them to report their guests to federal immigration agents have no regard for directives. But maybe they’ll listen to lawsuits and multi-million dollar settlements? “Racism and racial profiling have no place anywhere in America,” Congresswoman Jayapal continued. “Congressman Gallego and I urge the American Hotel and Lodging Association to put in place standards to make sure these things never happen again.”
