Motel 6 is paying a $12 million to settle a lawsuit after seven of its Washington locations gave immigration authorities access to guest lists, according to the state attorney general’s office.
At least nine Washington state residents were deported after the hotels provided the information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over two years, according to a press release from Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office.
Nearly 80,000 people who stayed at those Motel 6 locations between Feb. 1, 2015 and Sept. 17, 2017 could be eligible for compensation, the office announced. The guests who were questioned, arrested or deported could be eligible for a greater compensation.
More information about filing a claim is available from the Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. The deadline to file is Oct. 31, 2019.
The settlement was reached after Ferguson’s office sued Motel 6 last year. The office claimed that the hotel chain had violated the Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination. As part of the settlement, Motel 6 employees nationwide must contact the company lawyers before disclosing guest information, and the chain has to train its employees on proper procedures and provide a hotline that employees can call for questions.
Ferguson’s office in a press release provided several examples of those who were affected by the disclosures:
For example, one Seattle man stayed at a Motel 6 near SeaTac for one night wrapping Christmas presents for his four children. ICE agents approached him in the hotel’s parking lot, detained him and deported him some days later. His wife had to retrieve the presents and his other belongings from the Motel 6 after his arrest. The man was the sole provider for the household, and his wife is currently struggling to support their toddler and four other children.
A Vancouver father and business owner who had lived in the United States for more than 20 years, was detained after staying at Motel 6 on a trip to pick up supplies for his small grocery business. He was the primary breadwinner for the family, and his family could not maintain their business and home after his deportation. His wife and six children now struggle to make ends meet.
After receiving his information from Motel 6 employees, ICE agents detained a Washington man who had lived in the U.S. since he was 1 year old as he was getting milk for his baby from his car in the Motel 6 parking lot. The man was released from detention after six days and remains in the U.S. However, his employer replaced him while he was detained and he was not able to obtain another job for several months, putting financial strain on his family.
People who stayed at the following Motel 6 locations between Feb. 1, 2015 and Sept. 17, 2017 may be eligible for compensation:
Motel 6 Everett North (Property No. 37)
10006 Evergreen Way
Everett, Washington 98204
Motel 6 Everett South (Property No. 1331)
224 128th Street SW
Everett, Washington 98204
Motel 6 Seattle South (Property No. 736)
20651 Military Road S.
Seattle, Washington 98198
Motel 6 Seattle Airport (Property No. 1332)
16500 Pacific Highway S.
Seattle, Washington 98188
Motel 6 Seattle Sea-Tac Airport South (Property No. 4690) (“SeaTac Franchise”)
18900 47th Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98188
Motel 6 Tacoma South (Property No. 735)
1811 S. 76th Street
Tacoma, Washington 98408
Motel 6 Bellingham (Property No. 44) (Only if you stayed at this motel between January 29, 2017 and March 11, 2017)
3701 Byron Avenue
Bellingham, Washington 98225