The Department of Homeland Security put Hilton Hotels on blast Monday, accusing the hotel conglomerate of refusing to host immigration agents near Minneapolis. The X post included screenshots of emails that appeared to be sent from Hilton.com domains. But Hilton claims they don’t own or operate the hotel in question.
“NO ROOM AT THE INN!” the agency said in its post. “@HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”
The post was viewed millions of times in a matter of hours, and Hilton’s stock fell nearly 2.5% during Monday’s trading day.
What’s in the screenshots?
The department said officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates. In a screenshot of a purported email sent to those officers on Jan. 2, a representative of the Hampton Inn Lakeville property told the federal workers they are not housing any immigration agents.
“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,” the email reads.
The signature is redacted, but FOM is visible, which, in hospitality, typically stands for front office manager.
In another screenshot, an email confirms the hotel will cancel the upcoming reservation and states the recipient should soon receive an official cancellation email from Hilton.
Who runs the inn?
Hilton denied ownership of the property in question and, in a statement to media outlets, said it is investigating what happened at this individual hotel.
“Hilton Hotels serve as a welcoming place for all,” the statement reads. “This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values.”
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Hilton has 25 brands and more than 9,000 properties worldwide, though many are franchised.
Everpeak Hospitality operates Hampton Inn Lakeville. As of Monday afternoon, the company had removed its contact page and the names of its leadership team from the website, where they previously appeared. Now, at the top of the homepage, the company has posted a statement addressing the controversy, calling it “inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all.”
“We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated,” the Everpeak statement reads. “We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted.”
Property records show the hotel was recently purchased in August 2025.
Public and business backlash
The Department of Homeland Security post spurred thousands of replies, with many social media users vowing to boycott the Hilton brand.
The individual hotel is also receiving its share of public feedback following the post. On Google, there’s a slew of recently-posted reviews from people reacting to the news. But they aren’t all negative.
Though the business is being inundated with 1-star reviews, there’s also a fair amount of 5-star reviews popping up.
“Discriminatory practices by staff…disappointed,” one reviewer wrote.
“Extremely friendly staff. Great location. The bonus is that you won’t have to worry about protesters,” another review reads.
DHS sticks to its story
Straight Arrow News reached out to the federal agency to ask whether it had an updated statement following Hilton’s announcement that it did not run or operate the hotel. SAN also asked for a comment on the hotel owner in question reversing its policy.
The press office sent the same language from the X post, attributing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.
“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?” McLaughlin wrote.
McLaughlin also said Everpeak Hospitality has not reached out to the agencies in question.
“I wonder how Everpeak Hospitality has ‘moved swiftly to address this matter’ when @DHSgov and @ICEgov haven’t heard anything from them?” she posted to X.
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