Hilton Drops Hotel That Canceled ICE Reservations

UPDATE Jan 7, 2026 12:30 AM CST

Hilton has dumped the Minneapolis-area hotel that canceled reservations made by the Department of Homeland Security for ICE agents. The hotel chain removed the independently owned and operated Hampton Inn in Lakeville from its systems after a conservative commentator raised further concerns, USA Today reports. The commentator said that, after the initial round of canceled reservations sparked backlash and prompted an apology from Hilton, he attempted to make a reservation posing as a DHS employee and was unable to. "The FRONT DESK manager said he had spoken with the owner shortly before I walked in ... and confirmed the ANTI-DHS POLICY REMAINED IN EFFECT," he wrote in a lengthy post on X that apparently prompted Hilton to sever ties to the hotel.

Jan 6, 2026 2:00 AM CST

A hotel near Minneapolis managed to anger both the federal government and its own corporate brand in a single policy decision. The Department of Homeland Security says a Hilton-branded property in a Twin Cities suburb canceled room reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after staff realized the bookings came from DHS email addresses and used government rates. In screenshots posted by the department on X, hotel operators wrote that they had seen a spike in federal bookings and were "not allowing any ICE agents to stay at the property," the Guardian reports. Specifically, the property was a Hampton Inn, one of Hilton's brands, the Wall Street Journal reports.

ICE officers have been deployed to Minnesota amid federal fraud investigations involving members of the state's Somali community. Hilton's corporate office quickly distanced itself from the hotel's move. A spokesperson said Hilton hotels are meant to be open to all guests and stressed that the property is independently owned and operated. The company said it is investigating, that the hotel has apologized, and that affected ICE personnel are being contacted to secure accommodations.

"We do not tolerate any form of discrimination," Hilton said, adding that it routinely works with government and law enforcement agencies worldwide. Everpeak Hospitality, which owns the hotel in question, also issued an apology, calling the decision "inconsistent" with its policies and saying it acted quickly to address the situation. Online, the backlash was immediate: the hotel's Google reviews filled with sharply divided comments, with some users slamming the move as unpatriotic and others praising the refusal to host ICE. A DHS assistant secretary told Fox News the hotel was "siding with murderers and rapists" when it canceled the reservations. The controversy comes as protesters in Minnesota and other states have been staging noisy late-night demonstrations outside hotels where ICE agents stay, pressuring chains to refuse their business.