(NewsNation) — The Department of Homeland Security has accused a national hotel chain of undermining federal immigration enforcement efforts amid reports of a large-scale federal presence targeting Somali neighborhoods in the Twin Cities in the coming days.
DHS officials posted screenshots of a cancellation notice coming from the Hampton Inn in suburban Lakeville on social media on Monday. In a post on X, DHS officials accused Hilton (which lists Hampton Inn as a brand in its portfolio) of launching a “coordinated” campaign in Minneapolis to refuse service to federal law enforcement officers.
The post stated that when federal immigration officers attempted to book hotel rooms using government email addresses, Hilton “maliciously” canceled their reservations. In the notice posted on X, a representative from the suburban Minneapolis hotel wrote that the property is not allowing federal immigration agents to stay there.
“If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation,” the representative from the Hampton Inn located about 20 miles outside of Minneapolis wrote.
“This is unacceptable,” DHS wrote in its post on Monday. “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?”
A Hilton spokesperson told NewsNation that the Lakeville Hampton Inn is independently owned and operated and has apologized for its actions. The spokesperson said that the alleged actions taken against federal agents “is not reflective of Hilton values.”
“Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all,” the spokesperson said Monday, adding that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement and community leaders around the world “to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.”
The spokesperson told NewsNation that management from the Hampton Inn acknowledged that the actions of their employees, which is “not in keeping with their policies.” The hotel has taken immediate action to resolve the matter.
“Hilton’s position is clear: Our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination,” the company spokesperson said.
In a separate statement, Everpeak Hospitality — which operates the suburban hotel — said that the group is in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated.
“We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted,
the statement said. “We are committed to welcoming all guests and operating in accordance with brand standards, applicable laws, and our role as a professional hospitality provider.”
Can hotels legally refuse service to federal government guests?
Minnesota state law allows hotel operators to admit guests or refuse service to customers for a number of reasons. Among the reasons stated are for guests who act in an intoxicated or disorderly manner, destroy or threaten to destroy hotel property or threaten to cause a public disturbance.
Also included in the state law is an allowance to refuse service to anyone who may be dangerous to other persons, including with the use of guns or explosives.
However, the state statute prohibits hotel owners from refusing to admit a guest or person for discriminatory reasons besides those that were outlined under the section of the law defining undesirable guests.
What could DHS’s immigration enforcement operation entail?
The accusations from DHS toward the hotel chain come as the greater Minneapolis area may be bracing for a large-scale immigration enforcement operation that could target Somali neighborhoods.
NewsNation has confirmed that as many as 2,000 federal immigration agents and officers are headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown. The federal agents will focus on immigration enforcement as well as ongoing allegations of fraud, DHS sources said.
The effort is likely to include officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations branch and Homeland Security Investigations, which is the agency’s investigative arm.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino will reportedly oversee the operation as he has in the past months in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans. NewsNation has learned that some Border Patrol agents who worked under Bovino in past operations will be sent to Minneapolis.
A NewsNation source said Monday that immigration enforcement activity will focus on Somali neighborhoods amid investigations into potential fraud being carried out by Somali immigrants. The source said Monday that federal agents could be in the Twin Cities for weeks, and those arrested by federal immigration agents would be sent to out-of-state ICE detention centers since there are none in Minnesota.
Bovino, who was in Chicago briefly before Christmas, is reportedly scheduled to arrive in Minneapolis in the coming days. DHS officials routinely decline to address specific upcoming immigration enforcement operations.
“While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to NewsNation on Monday.
ICE officers already on the ground in Minneapolis-St. Paul
ICE strike teams were deployed to Minneapolis in early December as part of an immigration enforcement operation. Sources told NewsNation in December that Minneapolis and St. Paul would be the target of ICE strike teams, but that there could be collateral arrests made. Minnesota is home to the country’s largest Somali community, with about 107,000 residents as of 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The bureau reports that nationally, 73% of Somali immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens.
McLaughlin said at the time that “every day, ICE enforces the laws of the nation across the country. What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally. We do not discuss future or potential operations.”
Within days, DHS officials reported that the federal immigration operation had led to more than 400 arrests in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Protesters have gathered outside local hotels after demonstrators learned of where ICE agents were being lodged during the enforcement activity.
DHS officials blamed Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for “allowing pedophiles, domestic terrorists and gang members to roam the streets and terrorize Americans.”
Walz, who announced Monday he will not seek re-election for a third term, has pushed back against criticism from federal officials and President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump and his allies — in Washington, in St. Paul, and online — want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” Walz said Monday, referring to the Trump administration withholding funds for the programs and the president’s attacks on Somali immigrants in Minnesota. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family.”
A spokesperson for the Minneapolis mayor did not immediately return a message seeking comment from NewsNation.
In its response to NewsNation regarding the possible federal deployment, DHS included the photos of 10 migrants who have been arrested by federal law enforcement officers that the agency considers the “worst of the worst.” Among those who were arrested were immigrants who DHS officials said had been convicted of criminal sexual conduct, rape, and the solicitation of children through electronic communications to engage in sexual conduct.