Federal immigration officials accused Hilton Hotels of denying service to Department of Homeland Security law enforcement officers in Minnesota, an allegation that the hotel chain had yet to address publicly as of the publication date.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that Hilton properties in the Minneapolis area had engaged in a “coordinated campaign” to cancel reservations made by DHS personnel using official government email addresses and rates.
The agency alleged the cancellations were deliberate and targeted at officers involved in immigration enforcement.
“This is UNACCEPTABLE. 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?” continued Homeland Security’s January 5 post on X.
The post quickly garnered about 1.8 million views and included screenshots of emails that DHS said were sent by hotel representatives. One message stated, “After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation.”
Another email, attributed to a Hampton Inn Lakeville property, said, “We have noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.”
DHS has not released additional documentation beyond the screenshots, and it remains unclear whether the alleged actions were limited to specific independently owned properties or reflected a broader corporate directive. Hilton operates largely through franchised hotels that are independently owned and managed, though they are subject to brand standards.
The allegations come amid stepped-up immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities area, according to a report from Mediaite.
The Dallas Express reached out to Hilton for comment on the DHS allegations but did not receive a response.
Hilton’s media representative has previously stated that it does not support the use of its hotels for the detainment of migrants.
In a press release issued in July 2020 and reiterated in September 2020, the company said, “We believe that hotels should be places of hospitality, and the detainment of migrants, including minors, is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels.” That statement focused on housing detained migrants, not lodging for law enforcement personnel, and followed an apparent episode in Texas.
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation website, a separate philanthropic entity, has also publicly supported refugee and migrant initiatives globally, though it operates independently from Hilton’s hotel management and business decisions.
As of January 5, DHS officials had not announced any formal action against Hilton, and Hilton had not publicly confirmed or denied the agency’s specific claims.