Hilton removes branding from Lakeville Hampton Inn after repeated ICE booking refusals
Hilton has removed its name and branding from the Hampton Inn in Lakeville and cut ties with the franchise after employees repeatedly refused bookings to DHS/ICE agents — including an emailed cancellation that cited “immigration work” and an undercover video showing staff still denying reservations after corporate said the issue had been addressed. Hilton and the property apologized, said the cancellation violated corporate policy and that discipline/training is being pursued, while the hotel will continue operating under its current ownership without Hilton/Hampton branding during the transition.
📌 Key Facts
- Hilton has removed its name/branding from the Hampton Inn in Lakeville and cut ties with the franchisee after repeated refusals to book rooms for ICE/DHS agents.
- The property is the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville; the owner will continue to operate the hotel but it will no longer use the Hilton/Hampton brand while the removal is processed.
- DHS provided email evidence showing a reservation was canceled because of 'immigration work connected with your name,' and characterized the cancellations as deliberate discrimination and part of a broader effort to deny service to its personnel.
- Hilton and the Minnesota Hilton/DoubleTree property issued formal apologies, acknowledged the message violated Hilton’s corporate policies, and said the reservation should not have been canceled on that basis.
- A conservative journalist posing as a DHS worker visited the Lakeville Hampton Inn and was again refused rooms; a front‑desk employee said the hotel would not accept ICE/DHS/immigration enforcement guests and that the owner had not changed the policy.
- Hilton says its decision to remove the property was based on new video evidence showing the hotel was not meeting Hilton standards and values, and the chain is engaging franchisees to reinforce its expectations.
- Management company Everpeak Hospitality had told Hilton and media it was addressing the issue, but the undercover follow‑up showed the policy remained in effect hours later.
- Reporters and outlets place the decision in the context of a larger Twin Cities ICE/DHS surge and local political backlash, citing the Lakeville hotel as an example of private businesses resisting participation in immigration‑enforcement operations.
📊 Relevant Data
In the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota, most of the 78 indicted suspects are Somali Americans, excluding the non-Somali leader Aimee Bock.
Feeding Our Future - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
About 36% of Somali Minnesotans lived below the poverty line from 2019 to 2023, more than triple the U.S. poverty rate of 11.1%.
Inside 'Little Mogadishu': Minnesota's beleaguered Somali community and its push for belonging — Fox News
In December 2025, ICE arrested at least 19 Somali individuals in Minnesota during the first week of Operation Metro Surge, an enforcement operation focused on Somali immigrants.
Minnesota Somalis remain on edge in face of immigration operation but vow resilience — MPR News
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 06, 2026
11:41 PM
Hilton removes name from Lakeville hotel amidst ICE controversy
New information:
- Confirms that Hilton has formally removed its name/branding from the Lakeville Hampton Inn following the ICE booking controversy.
- Clarifies that the hotel will no longer operate under the Hilton or Hampton brand while the ownership continues to run the property.
- Adds updated Hilton/owner statements (or lack thereof) about next steps for the property and reiterates that refusal of bookings based on guests’ employer conflicts with Hilton’s policies.
2:41 PM
Hilton removing MN hotel that denied ICE bookings from its system
New information:
- Hilton now says it is 'taking immediate action to remove' the Lakeville Hampton Inn from its system after concluding the franchisee failed to correct the discriminatory booking practice.
- A conservative journalist, Nick Sortor, went to the Lakeville Hampton Inn late Monday posing as a DHS worker and was again refused rooms, with a front‑desk employee saying the hotel still would not accept ICE/DHS/immigration enforcement guests and that the owner had not changed the policy.
- Hilton’s decision to remove the property is specifically based on that new video evidence, which the chain says shows the hotel is not meeting Hilton standards and values; Hilton also says it is engaging all franchisees to reinforce its expectations.
- Everpeak Hospitality, the management company, had told Hilton and media it was 'swiftly' addressing the problem, but the undercover visit showed the policy was still in effect hours later.
- The article identifies the exact property as the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville and notes that, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, it still appeared in online booking, suggesting a transition period as removal takes effect.
1:20 PM
Hilton cuts ties with Lakeville hotel for refusing to give rooms to DHS agents
New information:
- The article reports that Hilton has now moved from warning/corrective steps to fully cutting ties with the Lakeville Hampton Inn franchise for repeatedly refusing rooms to DHS agents.
- It reiterates that undercover follow‑up showed staff still denying bookings to federal immigration agents even after corporate said the issue had been addressed, which Hilton cites in its decision to sever the relationship.
- The piece situates the decision explicitly in the context of the larger Twin Cities ICE/DHS surge and local political backlash, framing the hotel as an example of private businesses resisting participation.
January 05, 2026
11:43 PM
Hilton, Minnesota hotel apologize for email canceling immigration agents’ rooms
New information:
- Hilton and the specific Minnesota Hilton/DoubleTree property issued formal apologies for the email canceling ICE agents’ hotel rooms.
- The companies acknowledged that the message citing 'immigration work' as the reason for cancellation violated Hilton’s corporate policies.
- Hilton stated that the reservation should not have been canceled on that basis and said it is addressing the incident with the property and staff involved (e.g., training/disciplinary review).
1:45 PM
DHS: Minnesota hotel ‘maliciously cancelled’ reservations for immigration agents
New information:
- This Alpha News piece republishes/expands on DHS’s claim that the Minneapolis Hilton 'maliciously cancelled' reservations for ICE and DHS investigators because of their immigration-enforcement work.
- It highlights DHS’s framing that the cancellations were deliberate discrimination against federal officers, adding rhetorical emphasis beyond prior neutral summaries.
- The article reinforces that DHS provided email evidence showing a Hilton email stating the reservation was being canceled due to 'immigration work connected with your name,' and that DHS characterizes this as part of a broader 'coordinated campaign' to deny service to its personnel.