Photo: Alamy
The Department of Homeland Security accused Hilton Hotels on Monday of orchestrating a “coordinated campaign” to deny lodging to federal immigration agents working in the Minneapolis area, sparking corporate backlash and a market drop for the hotel chain.
In a post on X, the DHS shared what it said were internal emails from Hilton staff canceling reservations made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel during enforcement operations in the Twin Cities region.
“NO ROOM AT THE INN! @HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement,” DHS wrote.
“When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations. 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?” the post added.
Screenshots posted by DHS appeared to show emails from a Hilton employee at a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota. One message read: “We have noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today have been for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation.”
Another email stated: “After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation.”
Hilton quickly distanced itself from the incident, noting that the Lakeville property operates under a franchise model. “This hotel is independently owned and operated, and these actions were not reflective of Hilton values,” a company spokesperson said.
“We have been in direct contact with the hotel, and they have apologized for the actions of their team. Hilton’s position is clear: Our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination,” the statement continued.
Hilton shares fell between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent following the controversy, representing a decline of roughly $1 billion to $1.7 billion in market value, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The episode comes as the Trump administration deploys roughly 2,000 DHS personnel to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for a new immigration enforcement surge targeting alleged large-scale fraud operations.
