Hilton Hotels accused of cancelling ICE agents bookings in ‘malicious’ move

The agency shared correspondence appearing to originate from a Hilton email address, which stated plainly that Ice and immigration personnel would not be permitted on the premises.

"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," the email read.

Staff were instructed to inform colleagues that immigration agents would not be housed at the accommodation.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that the Minneapolis branch's conduct was "unacceptable".

She accused the hotel chain of orchestrating a deliberate effort to deny rooms to federal officers.

"Hilton has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to refuse service to DHS law enforcement," Ms McLaughlin said.

"When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously cancelled their reservations."

Ms McLaughlin demanded to know why the company would obstruct agents carrying out their duties.

"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?" she asked.

Hilton moved swiftly to distance itself from the controversy, emphasising that the property in question operates independently.

"This hotel is independently owned and operated, and these actions were not reflective of Hilton values," a company spokesman said.

The hotel giant confirmed it had contacted the accommodation directly following the incident.

"We have been in direct contact with the hotel, and they have apologised for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies," the spokesman added.

"They have taken immediate action to resolve this matter."

"Hilton's position is clear: our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination," the spokesman added.

Everpeak Hospitality, the management company responsible for the hotel, issued its own statement addressing the matter.

"Everpeak Hospitality has moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all," the company said.

"We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologise to those impacted."

The firm confirmed it was reaching out to affected guests to arrange alternative accommodation.

The incident occurred as the Trump administration deployed thousands of DHS agents to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area on Sunday.

Minnesota has attracted considerable White House attention in recent weeks following allegations of fraud within the Somali community, including claims of misused COVID-19 loans and childcare centre funding schemes.

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