Hilton said Tuesday that it has cut ties with a Minnesota hotel that was part of its franchise network after the property canceled reservations for federal immigration agents deployed to the Minneapolis area.
The issue emerged in emails posted on X Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed that Hilton Hotels “launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to refuse service” to agency personnel. The property was a Hampton Inn, which is part of the Hilton global portfolio. Most individual Hampton Inn properties are independently owned and operated by franchisees.
One email DHS posted appeared to show a hotel employee stating that they had canceled a reservation after discovering “information about immigration work connected with your name.”
Another email DHS shared appeared to show the property doubling down.
“This email is in regards to the reservation you made with the Hampton Inn Lakeville property,” it read. “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. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation.”
“Please pass this info to your coworkers that we are not allowing any immigration agents to house on our property,” the email concluded.
DHS called the move “unacceptable” and questioned “why” Hilton was “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 garnered more than 16 million views on X, prompting calls for a boycott of Hilton.
Hilton initially responded, saying that it launched an investigation into “this matter,” adding that the Minnesota “hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values.”
“Hilton works with governments, law enforcement and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone,” the hotel added.
But after a video posted by independent creator Nick Sortor appeared to show a hotel front desk employee refusing a reservation he said was for DHS employees, the hotel chain said it is removing the hotel from its franchise.
“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this. A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values,” Hilton said in a statement posted to X Tuesday.
“As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is — and always has been — a welcoming place for all. We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again,” the company said.
Statement from Hilton on a recent video pic.twitter.com/W8DWUTWD7f
— Hilton Newsroom (@HiltonNewsroom) January 6, 2026
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