Hilton Hotels emphasized Tuesday that it is a “welcoming place for all” after alleged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement officials were denied access to an independent property in the Minneapolis area, but a 2020 company statement indicates some U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may not be welcome after all.
Emails shared by DHS and ICE on social media appear to show staff at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville: Minnesotatelling people associated with DHS reservations that the property would not allow ICE or other immigration agents to stay. Hilton ended its relationship with the franchisee, saying the actions described do not reflect Hilton’s values.
Hilton said it is “taking immediate action to remove the hotel from its systems” and is engaging with all franchisees to “strengthen the standards we hold them in our system to ensure this does not happen again.”
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The Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, where ICE says agents’ reservations were canceled, prompting a Hilton investigation. (/Google Maps)
However, Hilton objected to immigration-related activities at another location in 2020, when an independent Hampton Inn & Suites in McAllen, Texas, “accepted reservations from a private contractor working on behalf of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement,” the company said.
The company issued a statement in September 2020, noting that she believes hotels should not be used for detention purposes.
“We believe that hotels should be places of hospitality, and the detention of migrants, including minors, is not an activity we support or in any way want associated with our hotels,” Hilton said at the time.
“We understand that these reservations were intended to accommodate migrants, including minors, as they were transported between locations,” Hilton said at the time.
“This is not an activity we support or want associated with our hotels in any way,” the hotel giant continued. “Our policy has always been that hotels should not be used as detention centers or for the detention of individuals. We expect all Hilton properties to turn away businesses that would use a hotel in this manner. We are in the process of contacting all Hilton owners and management companies in the US to remind them of our policy and to provide guidance on identifying and preventing these types of businesses.”
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ICE and DHS alleged law enforcement officers were denied service at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The hotel giant took a series of actions in 2020.
Hilton said it “reinforced our long-standing policies with all owners, management companies and hotel directors in the United States,” “updated and communicated our enforceable global brand standards to specifically address our detention policy,” “reviewed with hotels in our network all potential reservations that could fit this profile and confirmed their continued compliance with our standards” and “reached out to government officials to reinforce our long-standing policies.”
A Hilton insider dismissed the idea that the 2020 statement contradicted the current position, noting that the Minnesota property would have been justified in turning away officers if they planned to bring inmates to the hotel.
“These are two very different issues… one was detention and the use of the hotel as a detention area in 2020,” the insider said, adding that the recent event was about shelter and who has access to shelter at Hilton hotels.
“This is a hotel chain that accommodates guests from different backgrounds. It is not a detention center,” the insider said. “Hilton has taken action.”
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