A Sheraton hotel in Louisiana has been migrant Officials put deported people in a contradiction of what appears to be the stance of Sheraton’s parent company Marriott, which said in 2019 that its property would not be used in partnership with ICE.
Intercept First report the hotel is located on Macarthur Drive in Alexandria LouisianaNear major deportation centers and airports used on ice, immigration officials were detained by immigration officials four days after their arrest in New York. They were then expelled to Ecuador. The intercept cited the telephone tracking evidence shared with the publication, which was later seen by the guardian.
The evidence confirms the source of knowledge about hotel business in Alexandria, which told the Guardian that they believe the site has been used to detain immigrant families and unaccompanied children as it was renovated in late 2023. Sources found that the news of the ice contractor recently transferred ice contractors in Sheraton, which is known to have a minor transfer in Sheraton in June.
Other hotels in the area have also been used to occupy immigrant families, the source added.
It is not clear whether Marriott has a formal contract with ICE or whether the company knows about ICE’s use of Sheraton in Alexandria. exist A case that occurred last yearAfter the hotel established a partnership with the city, Marriott sued a New York franchise to use it as an immigration shelter and said it did so without Marriott’s consent.
Marriott did not respond to several requests for comment.
“It would be very unfortunate if the major hotel chains promote the cruel policy of the Trump administration to evict families,” said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigration Rights Program.
During 2019 Donald TrumpThe first semester, Wanhao Rejected this idea ICE will use any hotel or property of any of its hotels or properties (including Sheraton Hotels). It issued a statement at one point Trump administration In a review of the call for large-scale undocumented immigration. ABC News reported at the time that government officials were discussing internally that internal officials might need hotel rooms due to limited capabilities of ICE detention centers.
“Our hotels are not configured as detention facilities, but are open to guests and community members. While we have special insights on whether the U.S. government is considering whether to consider using hotels to help the border, Marriott has decided to refuse any requests to use our hotel as a detention facility,” a company spokesperson said in July 2019. ”
The company’s position at the time won praise, e.g. Public approval By the American Historical Association, the American Historical Association, announced in a public statement that it appreciates Marriott’s “principle position” and points out the importance of immigration to hotels and related industries.
It is well documented that ICE does use hotels to accommodate immigrant families who have been deported from the United States or transferred to other detention centers.
In the case of attraction National attention in Aprildespite multiple attempts by family members and attorneys to contact them, Ice detained two families in Louisiana with three U.S. citizens and detained them for several days and lasted within the hotel for several days.
The families, along with their U.S. citizen children, were deported in the early hours of April 25, and were held at a location in Alexandria according to legal files.
In this case, the documents reviewed by the Guardian include Short handwritten terms written by a mother Closely match the image of the brand’s Shera Register on paper Publish online. The guardian cannot independently confirm whether the families have been detained at Sheraton, Alexander.
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The interception reports focused on the stories of Edison Iza and his 15-year-old son Roger, who reportedly were arrested by ICE on August 9 while boarding the plane in New York. It is reported that the two were flew to Louisiana and the “lockdown” at the Sheraton Hotel, where they stayed for four days without using their phones or the internet.
“We can’t call or go online for help,” Roger told Intercept. “We don’t know any name or phone number without a cell phone.”
ICE did not immediately answer the Guardian’s questions about the agency’s use of Sheraton, including whether it was contracted with the hotel or used temporarily.
Given that the hospitality industry is particularly vulnerable to ice attacks and the Trump administration’s deportation plan The proportion of workers without certificates in the industry is very high.
Although the Department of Homeland Security issued guidance earlier this year saying ice agents were not raided at hotels, restaurants and farms, the guidance was later revoked. Report in the Washington Post in June. According to the 2023 census, about 34% of butlers, 24% of chefs and 20% of waiters are employed in the U.S. hospitality industry.
Other reports by Maanvi Singh
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