Motel 6 to Pay Out $12M Over Claims It Snitched on 80,000 Guests to ICE
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Motel 6 will be forced to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed it shared the names of around 80,000 guests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the multimillion-dollar settlement Thursday. The information allegedly led to targeted investigations by ICE, with Ferguson claiming that agents specifically went after people with Latino-sounding names. “Many Motel 6 locations in Washington turned over the personal information of their guests to ICE on a daily basis without requiring a warrant,” said Ferguson. “From 2015 to 2017, seven Washington locations shared the personal information of approximately 80,000 guests.” The AG claimed the sharing led to the detention of at least nine people in the state. “The safety and security of our guests, which includes protecting guest information, is our top priority, and we are pleased to be able to reach resolution in this matter,” the company said in a statement.