Nearly four months after the Phoenix New Times reported that Motel 6 workers willingly shared guest information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, the state of Washington’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the motel chain for violating the Consumer Protection Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the state of Washington, indicated that Motel 6 employees across the country have been sharing guest lists with ICE agents for at least two years, ostensibly allowing the agents to racially profile guests based on their “Latino-sounding names.” Some Motel 6 locations shared guest information with ICE daily, the lawsuit alleges. It referred to these practices as “unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory.”
It further claims that the allegations contained in the suit occurred in King County, which has a population of about two million people and is home to Seattle.
These allegations seem to contradict what Motel 6’s corporate leadership has long maintained—that the exchange of information occurred “at the local level.” In September, a spokesperson from Motel 6’s corporate headquarters told Pacific Standard that the company planned on issuing a directive to its 1,400 locations that would prohibit employees from voluntarily sending guest information to ICE.
