Hilton Cuts Ties With Minneapolis Franchise After Hotel Refuses Lodging to ICE Agents

Hilton Worldwide has announced it is terminating its franchise agreement with a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, following reports that the hotel refused to accept reservations from Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this,” read a Tuesday statement from Hilton posted on X. “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values. As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems.”“Hilton is — and has always been — a welcoming place for all. We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again,” the company said in the statement.The controversy erupted on Monday when DHS publicly accused the hotel chain of blocking federal law enforcement from staying at the property. While the hotel’s operator initially claimed the issue was resolved, a subsequent investigation revealed the ban remained in effect, prompting Hilton to sever ties with the location on Tuesday.DHS took to X on Monday to denounce the hotel, alleging a targeted effort to deny service to their agents. The agency shared screenshots of emails from hotel representatives, including one stating, “We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.”“NO ROOM AT THE INN!” the DHS post read. “@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,” the agency’s statement added. “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?”Following the initial outcry, the hotel’s operator, Everpeak Hotels, released a statement claiming they did “not discriminate against any individuals or agencies” and were working to accommodate the agents.However, conservative influencer Nick Sortor visited the property late Monday night to verify the claim. In a video viewed nearly 2 million times, a front desk clerk informed Mr. Sortor that the ban was still active per management instructions.“We’re not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS onto our property … it’s just policy,” the clerk is heard saying in the video.Mr. Sortor disputed the operator’s public stance on X, writing: “Hilton’s operator, Everpeak, STRAIGHT UP LIED in their statement yesterday. … NONE of that was true. There was NO attempt to reach DHS agents to make it right. Even the FRONT DESK manager said he had spoken with the owner shortly before I walked in around 10:50pm, and confirmed the ANTI-DHS POLICY REMAINED IN EFFECT.”The lodging dispute comes as the Trump administration intensifies federal operations in the Twin Cities. Law enforcement officials familiar with the plan told CBS News that hundreds of DHS and ICE agents are being deployed to Minneapolis and St. Paul, with the operation expected to eventually involve approximately 2,000 agents over a 30-day period.

Hilton Cuts Ties With Minneapolis Franchise After Hotel Refuses Lodging to ICE Agents

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