Last Updated Sep 14, 2017 12:12 PM EDT
A Motel 6 in Arizona shared its guest lists with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, tipping off federal authorities to customers who may have been in the country illegally.
CBS affiliate KPHO-TV in Phoenix reports that Jose Renteria Alvarado faces deportation after federal authorities detained him while he was staying at a Motel 6 in June. His attorney, Robert McWhirter, says he believes the motel shared its guest list with the agents.
“I imagine what went on here is they probably took a look at the names on the guest registry and compared that to a database of people that have been deported,” McWhirter told the station.
After coming under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others, Motel 6 appeared to confirm the Phoenix location was sharing information with authorities, saying the policy was “implemented at the local level without the knowledge of senior management.”
Statement Regarding Recent Media Reports on Phoenix-area Location
In a statement to KPHO, Motel 6 spokeswoman Raiza Rehkoff said the company is investigating how long the Phoenix location was sharing guest information with immigration authorities.
Alvarado, the man who faces deportation, had been deported once before and was considered a high priority for deportation because of a minor criminal record prior to his first deportation, KPHO reports. He now faces a sentence of six months in prison, after which he will be deported, according to the station.
The Phoenix New Times reports that ICE agents made at least 20 arrests at two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix between February and August in this year, citing court records. Both locations are in areas with large Latino populations, the paper reports.
The ACLU of Arizona criticized Motel 6 for failing to inform customers their personal information might be shared with law enforcement.
“It’s important that businesses like Motel 6, in the climate we’re in now where ICE has been unleashed, that they make very clear how they will be interacting with ICE and law enforcement,” spokesman Steve Kilar said.
Kilar acknowledged that Motel 6 has the right to share information about guests with ICE, but said such disclosures should “preferably be done in very limited circumstances and pursuant to a warrant.”
Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for ICE, told KPHO that “the agency receives viable enforcement tips from a host of sources.” While not confirming the agency received guest lists, Kice said that “hotels and motels, including those in the Phoenix area, have frequently been exploited by criminal organizations engaged in highly dangerous illegal enterprises.”
