Department of Homeland Security staff seeking hotel rooms in Minneapolis were denied once their identities as government immigration agents were revealed, the Trump administration claimed on Monday, alleging Hilton Hotels had launched a “coordinated campaign.”
“When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations,” DHS wrote on X. “This is UNACCEPTABLE.”
In its post, the agency appeared to reference the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph being denied “room at the inn” ahead of the birth of Jesus and shared a pair of redacted screenshots regarding the alleged cancellations in Minnesota.
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and will be cancelling your upcoming reservation,” reads one of the messages, dated January 2, which features an “@hilton” email address and a reference to the Everpeak Hospitality group.
“We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property,” another message, purportedly from the leadership of the Hampton Inn Lakeville, reads.
It is unclear which or how many properties were involved in the alleged cancellations.
DHS did not provide evidence to The Independent when asked how it knew agents were victims of a “coordinated campaign.”
"This hotel is independently owned and operated, and these actions were not reflective of Hilton values,” Hilton told The Independent in an email statement. “We have been in direct contact with the hotel, and they have apologized for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies. They have taken immediate action to resolve this matter and are contacting impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated.”
“Everpeak Hospitality has moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all,” Everpeak wrote in a statement on its website. “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.”
Shares of Hilton, of which many branded hotels are independently run franchises, were down nearly 2.5 percent as of Monday afternoon.
The allegations come as the Trump administration is surging DHS resources to the Minneapolis era, kicking off a reported crackdown that could involve up to 2,000 agents.
The president regularly denigrates the large Somali-American community in the city and the administration has responded to viral, disputed allegations of mass fraud at Somali-run day care centers to freeze childcare funding to Minnesota and the rest of the country.
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Last year, a Sheraton franchisee operated by a third party in Louisiana faced controversy for allegedly renting rooms to DHS personnel to hold people who were in the process of being deported, in what appears to violate the brand’s larger policies.
In 2020, Hilton corporate said detaining immigrants “is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels,” following the news a Texas franchisee accepted reservations from an ICE contractor.
Two years prior, Motel 6 agreed to pay $7.6 million to settle a class- action lawsuit, after multiple locations gave guest lists to ICE agents.
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