The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that a Minnesota Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, where the Trump administration has deployed officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.
After ICE officers booked rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton allegedly canceled their reservations, DHS said in a post on social media platform X.
“NO ROOM AT THE INN! @HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations. This is UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?”
Screenshots of emails coud be seen in the social post, in which the Hampton Inn hotel’s operators said they had “noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS,” and that they were not allowing any ICE agents to stay at the property.
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation. You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton,” one email reads. DHS redacted names in the screenshots.
Per CNN, the Hampton Inn, a Hilton property, is independently owned and operated by Everpeak Hospitality, which said in a Monday statement on its website that the incident “was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all,” and that they are “in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated.”
A video, reportedly shot late Monday night by conservative social media personality Nick Sortor, showed a person behind the hotel’s check-in desk denying rooms to a man claiming he was looking to book rooms for DHS agent.
In response to the video, Everpeak issued a revised statement on Tuesday, saying it had further concerns that the Lakeview Hilton property was “not meeting our standards,” and Hilton was therefore taking “immediate action” to remove the hotel from its system.
Hampton Inns are on the budget end of the Hilton hotel brands. Most are owned and operated by franchisees.