Hotel Chain Refuses Service to Immigration Officials
A major hotel chain has reportedly stopped providing service to immigration officials as enforcement actions ramp up in the Minneapolis area.
Sources indicate that employees of Hilton Hotels & Resorts turned down reservations from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to book rooms in Minneapolis. This comes in light of increased federal law enforcement presence in a city dealing with immigration-related fraud, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) email.
One message sent to a DHS representative stated, “Due to today’s confirmation that DHS is experiencing a high volume of GOV reservations, we are no longer allowing ICE and immigration officials to reside at our facility.” It further added that they needed to cancel any reservations linked to DHS or ICE staff.
Approximately two hours later, Hilton followed up with another email. In this message, they informed the representative, “After further research online, we have discovered information regarding immigration operations associated with your name, so we are canceling your reservation.”
A spokesperson from Hilton has not yet replied to requests for comment.
The backdrop of this situation involves growing national attention on Minneapolis, particularly following revelations in late 2025 that millions in taxpayer dollars had been misappropriated through a coordinated scheme involving fake nonprofits, predominantly run by Somali individuals. An independent journalist reportedly uncovered a network of fraudulent child care centers that had been siphoning state funds.
In response to the fraud crisis, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Monday that he would not pursue a third term, tying his decision to the mounting scandal. He mentioned, “In recent years, organized criminal groups have been trying to take advantage of state leniency, and while we are making progress in the fight against fraudsters, organized political groups are now trying to exploit the crisis,” attributing some of the turmoil to actions by President Donald Trump.
As the situation escalates, reports indicate that DHS is preparing to deploy hundreds of ICE agents to the Twin Cities, potentially involving up to 2,000 officials in this crackdown on fraud.
