Overview

• Marriott told the Guardian its hotels are not designed to serve as detention centers and said the Alexandria Sheraton is operated by a third party, without denying the reported detentions.
• The Intercept reported, and the Guardian reviewed phone-tracking data, indicating Edison Iza and his 15-year-old son were held at the Sheraton for about four days without phone or internet access before deportation to Ecuador.
• A source familiar with local hotel operations said they believe the Sheraton has been used since a 2023 renovation to hold families and unaccompanied minors, and they observed ICE contractors there in June.
• The Alexandria property is near a major ICE deportation hub, and legal filings in an April Louisiana case included a note on paper resembling Sheraton-branded notepads.
• Marriott’s current posture contrasts with its 2019 pledge to decline requests to use hotels as detention facilities, and ICE has not responded to questions about contracts or ad hoc use of the site.