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Washington State Attorney General is suing Motel 6, claiming that the hotel had leaked the personal information of thousands of customers to the federal immigration authorities, in violation of state law. (January 3)
AP

Motel 6 will shell out $ 12 million to settle a lawsuit for two years, declaring the channel poorly supplied to immigration authorities, the state attorney general of Washington State said Thursday.

The prosecution reported that the Washington chain's websites provided information to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a warrant. As part of the settlement, Motel 6 has committed to no longer provide customer information to all locations in the United States unless required by warrant, subpoena or by law.

"Many Motel 6 locations in Washington routinely report their clients' personal information to ICE without requiring a warrant," said Attorney General Bob Ferguson's release. "From 2015 to 2017, seven Washington sites shared personal information from about 80,000 guests.

The press release states that Motel 6 has released customer information including names, driver's license numbers, passport and green card numbers, room numbers, birth dates and license plate numbers. .

ICE used this information to target its guests with Latin-sounding names, Ferguson said.

The Attorney General's investigation revealed that the practice of Motel 6 had led to the detention of at least nine people in that state, the statement said.

In November, Motel 6 settled a separate lawsuit in Arizona. The company agreed to pay up to $ 7.6 million to guests who said their personal information had been shared with immigration officers.

"The safety of our customers, including the protection of their information, is our top priority, and we are delighted to be able to find a solution to this problem," the company said in a statement.

Contribute: The Associated Press

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