Minneapolis Hilton hotel cancels immigration agents’ reservations, DHS says

Jan 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis, where the Trump administration has surged officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.

After ICE officers booked rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton canceled their reservations, DHS said in a post on social media platform X.

The department also posted screenshots of emails, in which the hotel’s operators said they had “noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS,” and that they were not allowing any ICE agents to stay at the property.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings said the property is independently owned and operated and is investigating the matter.

“Hilton works with governments, law enforcement and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone,” a spokesperson said in a statement. 

Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota’s Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates have accused the administration of using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.

Shares of the hotel chain were down 1.5% in afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Leroy Leo and Cynthia Osterman)