The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, 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 canceled their reservations, the department said in a post on X.
The department also posted screenshots of emails, in which the 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.
In a statement, a Hilton spokesperson said the brand’s hotels “serve as welcoming places for all” and that the hotel that canceled the reservations was independently owned and operated. The cancellations “are not reflective of Hilton values”, the spokesperson said.
“We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone,” the spokesperson said.
In a later statement, a Hilton spokesperson said the company was in contact with the hotel in question, and that it has apologized for its team’s actions.
“They have taken immediate action to resolve this matter and are contacting impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated,” Hilton’s spokesperson said. “Hilton’s position is clear: our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination.”
Everpeak Hospitality, the owner of the hotel, said it had “moved swiftly to address this matter” and that it was “inconsistent” with hotel policy.
“We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated. We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted,” Everpeak said in a statement.
Google reviews for what is believed to be the hotel location in question, a Hampton Inn in an outer suburb of Minneapolis, lit up on Monday afternoon with a mix of one- and five-star reviews, some calling the hotel “un-American” and others praising it for not hosting ICE.
Later on Monday, a rightwing influencer went to the hotel and asked the front desk to book rooms under a government rate for the DHS, but the clerk said the hotel wasn’t allowing bookings from immigration enforcement agents, in contrast to the statement from the hotel chain. Hilton issued another statement on Tuesday morning saying it would be removing the hotel from its systems and would be “engaging with all of our franchisees” to reinforce its standards.
Protesters have rallied outside hotels in Minnesota and other places around the country where ICE agents are staying, making noise late into the night to disrupt their sleep and calling on hotels not to allow agents to stay on their properties.
Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota’s Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates have accused the administration of using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.
Shares of the hotel chain were down 1.5% in afternoon trading.
