KENNER, La. — Hertz has issued an apology after a Puerto Rican customer was refused a rental car at Louis Armstrong Airport due to him not providing a passport, despite the fact that the customer was a U.S. Citizen and didn't need one.
According to a report by CBS's David Begnaud, Humberto Marchand had traveled to New Orleans and paid for a rent-a-car from Hertz ahead of the trip.
When Marchand arrived, he presented his Puerto Rican driver's license, which had text in Spanish and English, to the Hertz counter, and was told by the clerk he would need a passport.
Marchand told Begnaud that he didn't understand what the woman meant, and that she made comments suggesting he was from another country (despite the fact that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory) and needed a passport.
Marchand asked the clerk if she could honor his reservation as he was engaging in domestic travel being a U.S. Citizen. However, the clerk refused and would eventually ask Marchand to leave, before calling the police, Marchand recounted to Begnaud.
When a Kenner officer arrived, Marchand said the officer told him he had to leave. Marchand also claimed the officer threatened to "call border patrol" (despite the fact that Marchand is a U.S. Citizen) if he did not leave.
Begnaud said that Marchand was a federal law enforcement officer of 25 years.
A spokesperson for Kenner police said that the officer's body-camera footage did not contain a remark about border patrol like Marchand claimed, however, it is unclear when the body-camera was turned off during their exchange.
The spokesperson also invited Marchand to file a complaint with the agency.
Hertz did not clarify if the clerk was punished or fired, but the company did send WWL-TV a statement commenting on the matter.
“Hertz accepts Puerto Rican driver’s licenses from our customers renting in the U.S. without requiring a valid passport," the statement said. "We sincerely regret that our policy was not followed and have apologized to Mr. Marchand and refunded his rental. We are reinforcing our policies with employees to ensure that they are understood and followed consistently across our locations.”
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