Motel 6 has agreed to settle a
proposed nationwide class action lawsuit claiming it violated the privacy of
Hispanic guests by providing guest lists to U.S. immigration authorities to aid
in law enforcement.
The Mexican American Legal Defense
and Educational Fund (MALDEF) represented the plaintiffs.
MALDEF sued Motel 6 in
January. Its legal complaint said that release of guest lists was racially
discriminatory and unconstitutional, and allowed law enforcement to make
arrests without warrants or reasonable suspicion that crimes had been
committed.
The lawsuit was filed after
ICE arrested 20 people in six months at Motel 6s in Arizona, using guest lists
to identify people by national origin. Hispanic guests Washington hotels were
also arrested.
For now, Motel 6's management
company, G6 Hospitality, has said it ordered its more than 1,400 U.S. and
Canadian locations in September to stop voluntarily giving guest lists to ICE
agents.
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