DHS Targets Hilton After ICE Agents Barred From Hotel

One of the nation’s largest hotel conglomerates is in hot water with the Department of Homeland Security after a local operator allegedly refused to accommodate Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

DHS on Monday shared correspondence with a Hampton Inn in the Minneapolis suburb of Lakeville that appeared to end with the reservation being canceled. The brand is one of several Hilton subsidiaries.

The agency posted a screenshot to social media of an email from an unnamed hotel employee saying it isn't allowing immigration agents to stay at the property. DHS characterized the lack of service as “a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”

Hilton and Everpeak Hospitality, which manages the location in question, both disavowed the alleged conduct and committed to serving all guests.

“We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted,” Everpeak told The Wall Street Journal on Monday.

But tensions reemerged after conservative influencer Nick Sortor went to the hotel Monday night and tried to book rooms for DHS employees at a government rate.

A video he shared Tuesday morning shows an interaction with a front-desk worker who claimed the location’s management was still refusing to accommodate immigration officials.

Shortly thereafter, Hilton posted a statement on social media saying the hotel has been removed from its network.

“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this,” the company said. “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values.”

Everpeak appeared to have taken down its contact page as of Tuesday afternoon and couldn't be reached for comment.

The General Services Administration said in a Tuesday afternoon release that it is terminating the hotel from all federal government lodging programs. GSA Administrator Ed Forst said the ICE cancellation represented a “clear violation” of its policies requiring participating hotels to honor reservations from all federal agencies. 

A controversial uptick in ICE raids targeting immigrants lacking permanent legal status has impacted many employers and construction sites across the country.

An August survey from Associated General Contractors of America and the National Center for Construction Education and Research found that more than a third of U.S. general contracting firms had been impacted by the ramp-up in enforcement.

In September, ICE arrested 450 people on the site of a Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing facility and an adjacent under-construction battery plant in Georgia. 

UPDATE, JAN. 6, 5 P.M. ET: This story has been updated with a statement from the General Services Administration.