Motel 6 ICE Settlement: Motel chain to pay $ 12 million after ICE guest list

Motel 6 will pay $ 12 million to settle the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General of the State of Washington regarding the practice of the chain of accommodation consisting in handing out lists of guests to agents of immigration and customs of the United States. The company is also committed to no longer providing information to clients without a warrant, a policy that will be adopted nationwide, prosecutors said.

This is not the first time that Motel 6 is being prosecuted for providing information about customers to immigration authorities. In November, he agreed to pay Up to $ 7.6 million allocated to Hispanic guests to settle a lawsuit alleging the violation of their privacy by sharing guest lists with ICE agents.

The Motel 6 offices in Washington State have provided ICE with personal information about their clients "every day without a warrant," according to a statement from the Washington attorney general's office. In total, the chain of motels shared information for about 80,000 customers without their knowledge and without their consent, the statement said.

"The safety of our customers, including the protection of their information, is our top priority, and we are delighted to be able to solve the problem," said a Motel 6 spokesperson.

"The actions of Motel 6 have torn families apart and violated the privacy rights of tens of thousands of Washingtonians," said Bob Ferguson of Washington AG. "Our resolution holds the Motel 6 responsible for the illegal disclosure of customers' confidential information without a warrant."

The repercussions of the Motel 6 acts have hurt many families and led to the detention of nine fewer Washingtonians, the statement said. In some cases, Motel 6 guests have been deported or suffered such consequences as losing their jobs after being arrested, Ferguson said.