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At least two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix, Arizona reported guest lists to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It was also rumored that ICE paid out $200 for every undocumented immigrant caught. A PR director from Motel 6's parent company confirmed that staff members at the locations were working with ICE without the approval of senior management:
At least two Motel 6 locations in Arizona are reporting their guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, which has resulted in at least 20 arrests, according to local media.
Phoenix New Times reported on Wednesday that two franchise locations of the motel chain are sending their guest lists to ICE agents "every morning," and possibly receiving $200 per undocumented immigrant caught in the sting.
"We send a report every morning to ICE — all the names of everybody that comes in," one front-desk clerk told the Times. "Every morning at about 5 o'clock, we do the audit and we push a button and it sends it to ICE."
Immigration attorney Denise Aguilar wrote The New Times in an email that some of her clients "have heard (no telling how valid the info is) that ICE is paying $200 per person for the front-desk clerk to report."
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that law enforcement must obtain a warrant to search hotel/motel registries.
Also at The Washington Post, NY Mag, and Vice.
[Ed. Addition] A follow-on story at Phoenix New Times After New Times Story, Motel 6 Says It Will Stop Sharing Guest Lists With ICE raises many interesting questions about the situation, and then was itself updated:
Update, 3:25 p.m.: Motel 6 has issued another statement in response to our story on their practice of sharing guest lists with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement:
"Over the past several days, it was brought to our attention that certain local Motel 6 properties in the Phoenix-area were voluntarily providing daily guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As previously stated, this was undertaken at the local level without the knowledge of senior management. When we became aware of it, it was discontinued.
Moving forward, to help ensure that this does not occur again, we 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.
Additionally, to help ensure that our broader engagement with law enforcement is done in a manner that is respectful of our guests' rights, we will be undertaking a comprehensive review of our current practices and then issue updated, company-wide guidelines.
Protecting the privacy and security of our guests are core values of our company. Motel 6 apologizes for this incident and will continue to work to earn the trust and patronage of our millions of loyal guests."
Related: (Rhode Island) ACLU Statement On "Change" In Motel 6 Policy of Sharing Guest List (2015)
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday September 15 2017, @05:47PM (3 children)
The CC company knows. The Hotel megacorporation knows. The cops know because travel on the roads is a privilege not a right and they got cameras on the red lights etc so they know. The supermarket knows based on purchases. Amazon knows based on data mining and is suggesting gifts for the floozy. Isn't it kinda the point that everyone on the planet already knows except for his wife and/or the floozy's husband? Aside from wife and floozy-husband, is there anyone who doesn't already know? Heck even we know on SN, now.
Also immigration, having things to do, has zero interest in Joe Bogs the millisecond he (and his floozy) comes up as a citizen. Its kinda like saying supermarket clerks could be making a secret tracking list by pretending to card booze buyers for age purposes but secretly the reptilian aliens are making a list of future abductees. Nah its more likely the computer beeps and a green light flashes and "on your way".
(Score: 4, Insightful) by khallow on Friday September 15 2017, @07:34PM (2 children)
Except the US government is vastly more than just immigration control. Now, the whole apparatus knows. Maybe the FBI will use this information to black list Mr. Bogs or his floozy years down the road. Maybe an intelligence agency will use this information to blackmail Mr. Bogs or his floozy. Maybe some religious nutcases will take over the US and imprison the pair for the crime of adultery. Maybe a competitor of Mr. Bog's employer will use this information to help sabotage a deal.
If the information isn't up for sale, then it can't be abused now or later.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday September 16 2017, @02:36PM (1 child)
My point is they already have that, global war on terror and anti-money laundering and all that ridiculous stuff.
The NSA/CIA/FBI already stingray the area to track cell phones and tap the phones and internet connections. The only religious nutcases likely to take over are fundamentalist progressives who would imprison them for being white or not interracially dating, perhaps, but they'll send them to camps because of who they are and what they do, not because they visited a hotel once. The competitor is an interesting case. If its a big international deal then the intel services (ours and theirs) are already involved...
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Sunday September 17 2017, @03:32AM
That ridiculous stuff includes motel staff ratting out their customers. There's no point to complaining about government overreach, when you allow it.