Motel 6 Sued by Washington State AG for Handing Over Guest Data to Federal Immigration Officials

Motel 6 is being sued by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson for allegedly handing over data on guests to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

In an announcement this week, according to the Seattle Times, Ferguson accused Motel 6 of violating the state’s consumer protection laws after the hotel chain allegedly gave ICE — the agency tasked with arresting and deporting illegal aliens — information on guests who were suspected to be living in the United States illegally.

The complaint states that ICE was allegedly given data on 9,150 guests who stayed at Motel 6 and at least six illegal aliens were subsequently detained near the Motel 6 hotels between 2015 and 2017.

Ferguson says there were six Motel 6 locations in the state of Washington that allegedly handed over data to ICE without telling or asking guests ahead of time.

In a statement to the Seattle Times, Motel 6 executives said:

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.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, ICE agents would arrive at various Motel 6 locations and be handed a list of all the guests’ names, birthdays, and license plate numbers. From there, ICE agents would allegedly review the list to find if any of the Motel 6 guests were living in the country illegally.

Ferguson is now alleging that some 15 other Motel 6 locations in the state were using similar tactics to help ICE agents find, arrest, and deport illegal aliens.

The state has filed their lawsuit in King County Superior Court and is looking to penalize Motel 6 with a $2,000 fine for every guest whose name was handed over to ICE.