Liberal Phoenix Newspaper Claims Motel 6 is Providing Guest Information to ICE
Living in the United States in 2017 is a veritable horn of plenty when it comes to leftist outrage and if a Phoenix newspaper is to be believed, there will be ear-piercing howls of indignation over this story about immigration.
If you live in any major U.S. city, you are probably familiar with the local weeklies that have a tendency to lean left, sometimes way left in terms of reportage and commentary. The Phoenix New Times is the version of this weekly that is published in the “Valley of the Sun” and it has just come out with a doozy of a scoop.
According to the PNT, the ubiquitous lodging chain Motel 6 has been providing guest lists to agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist in the roundup of criminal illegals.
Motel 6 locations in Arizona sending customer lists to ICE, resulting in 20 arrests: report https://t.co/cJe4K6nRfr pic.twitter.com/ZES3sDtGwb
— The Hill (@thehill) September 13, 2017
Via The Hill “Motel 6 hotels sending guest lists to ICE: report”:
At least two Motel 6 locations in Arizona are reporting their guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, which has resulted in at least 20 arrests, according to local media.
Phoenix New Times reported on Wednesday that two franchise locations of the motel chain are sending their guest lists to ICE agents “every morning,” and possibly receiving $200 per undocumented immigrant caught in the sting.
“We send a report every morning to ICE — all the names of everybody that comes in,” one front-desk clerk told the Times. “Every morning at about 5 o’clock, we do the audit and we push a button and it sends it to ICE.”
Immigration attorney Denise Aguilar wrote The New Times in an email that some of her clients “have heard (no telling how valid the info is) that ICE is paying $200 per person for the front-desk clerk to report.”
According to the Times, ICE agents perform “knock and talks” at the locations after receiving the guest lists, which means officers show up at the hotel without a warrant and knock on doors asking permission to enter. If they are refused, they come back with a warrant.
“It’s not some big conspiracy,” ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe told The New Times. “If they’re given consent, then they can come in. If they’re not, then they can come back with a search warrant.
This could be a massive public relations problem for Motel 6 if true and even if it isn’t, it won’t stop grievance mongers and activist groups from launching a boycott against the chain regardless of the veracity of the story.
You can read the entire Phoenix New Times article HERE.
.@motel6: they'll leave the light on, and also call ICE. https://t.co/IRYS2tdhj0
— Phoenix New Times (@phoenixnewtimes) September 13, 2017
A quick review of the website seems to show that the paper has long been a critic of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the timing of the report – after he was pardoned by President Trump – does beg questions as to whether it has been blown out of proportion.
The paper admits that it has only found the practice at TWO of the motels in the area:
All took place at one of two Motel 6 locations: 4130 North Black Canyon Highway or 1530 North 52nd Drive. Both are in predominantly Latino neighborhoods. New Times was unable to find records indicating that ICE conducted arrests at other local motels during this same time period.
Fake news? I guess that we’ll find out soon enough once the politicians and activists get wind of it.
