Tipsheet

Despite the Statements, That Minnesota Hilton Is Still Banning DHS and ICE Agents

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  January 06, 2026 7:45 AM

Yesterday, a Hilton Hotel franchisee in Minnesota found itself getting the Bud Light treatment from the government and conservatives after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shared emails that the hotel canceled reservations because management objected to the agents' immigration enforcement actions in and around Minneapolis.

Later in the day, Hilton addressed the controversy, issuing a statement to Fox News that said, "Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone."

Everpeak Hospitality, the company that owns this Hilton franchise, also issued a statement that said, "Everpeak Hospitality has moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all. We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated. We do not discriminate against individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted. We are committed to welcoming all guests and operating in accordance with brand standards, applicable laws, and our role as a professional hospitality provider."

As our Matt Vespa pointed out, that particular location, the Hampton Inn Lakeville near Minneapolis, was bought last year for $15 million, and the LLC is owned by four Indian partners — Parmjit Singh, Amanpreet Hundal, Karandeep Nagra, and Mohinderjeet Kaur.

Nick Sortor visited the location and confirmed that, despite Hilton's statement, the hotel isn't changing its policy.

Sotor wrote:

Hilton’s operator, Everpeak, STRAIGHT UP LIED in their statement yesterday which said they were “in touch” with DHS to accommodate impacted agents, and “do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies.”

NONE of that was true. There was NO attempt to reach DHS agents to make it right, per Asst. DHS Sec. @TriciaOhio

Even the FRONT DESK manager said he had spoken with the owner shortly before I walked in around 10:50pm, and confirmed the ANTI-DHS POLICY REMAINED IN EFFECT.

REVOKE THEIR LICENSE, HILTON, OR IT’S GOING TO COST YOU DEARLY. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

This is an INCREDIBLY dumb battle to choose!

Sotor asks the front desk clerk if the hotel has rooms available.

The clerk asks Sotor, "What agency is that for?"

"They'd be Department of Homeland Security," Sotor replies.

"We're not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS, onto our property," the clerk says. "It's just per management, our ownership."

"Okay. I thought that changed today," Sotor says.

"I just talked to my...the owner of the building and he didn't say there has been any changes...that's just policy," the clerk says.

"So even with the thing they said earlier, where they mentioned that the statement that they put out...that they accept everybody," Sotor says.

"I haven't been informed," the clerk says, and he offers to call his manager.

The clerk goes into the back room.

"Nobody's answering my calls right now, due to the time," the clerk says when he returns.

Sotor reminds him of the statement released by Everpeak Hospitality.

"I thought we were good to go," Sotor says. 

"Sorry about that," the clerk replies.

The promise of boycotting Hilton continues.

"Looks like I’ll never be using @HiltonHotels again when I travel. Which has typically been my go to," wrote Dustin Grage

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at DHS, also called out the hotel.

"Worth noting this occurred many hours after Everpeak Hospitality and @HiltonHotels issued statements insisting this issue was resolved," she wrote.

It appears Everpeak has pulled its contact information from the web, at least for now.

This writer confirmed that the contact information is no longer available, and the Everpeak website contains only the aforementioned statement regarding the Minnesota location.