By Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Hilton Worldwide Holdings has removed from its system a Minneapolis hotel that refused to accept the bookings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the hotel operator said on Tuesday.
A Hampton Inn hotel, a Hilton brand, outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, refused to accommodate ICE agents, the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on the social media platform X on Monday.
The Trump administration has increased the number of officers in the area following allegations of fraud involving Somali immigrants.
“We are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is – and always has been – a welcoming place for everyone,” the company said on X.
Amid mixed reactions online from consumers, with some calling for a boycott and others pledging support for Hilton, the hotel operator is the latest American company after Cracker Barrel to distance itself from moves that have been criticized by the Trump administration and its base.
Hilton made his comments after a video was posted on X on Tuesday that suggested ICE agents were still being refused rooms at the Hampton Inn in Lakeview, after Hilton and the hotel’s independent operator apologized for an initial incident.
“A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values,” Hilton said. In an earlier statement, Hilton said the property was independently owned and operated.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the department welcomed Tuesday’s move by Hilton.
“Discriminatory business practices that target DHS and deliberately undermine federal law enforcement are un-American and have real business consequences,” she said in a statement on X.
Everpeak Hospitality, which manages the Hampton Inn, was not immediately available for comment on the video on Tuesday. On Monday she said she was in contact with the affected guests to ensure they were accommodated.
“We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those affected,” it said on its website.
McLaughlin said on X that the agency has not heard from Everpeak Hospitality.
DHS said Monday that after ICE officials booked rooms using official government emails and rates, a staff member at the Hampton Inn on Jan. 2 canceled their reservations.
“We are not allowing any ICE agents or immigrants to stay on our property,” reads an email from the hotel sent to X by DHS.
Shares of the hotel operator rose 2.09% in afternoon trade, after falling 2.46% at the close on Monday.
(Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Barbara Lewis, Alexandra Hudson and Daniel Wallis)