Hilton DISOWNS hotel owned by franchisee who refused to let ICE agents book rooms and orders him to remove its branding
Lakeville Hampton Inn has been ordered to remove all Hilton branding as of Tuesday after head office learned a policy barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was still in effect.
By BRITTANY CHAIN, US SENIOR REPORTER
Published: 00:01 GMT, 7 January 2026 | Updated: 14:18 GMT, 7 January 2026
The Hilton brand has severed ties with a franchisee in Minnesota which sparked outrage by canceling bookings made by immigration agents and refusing them service.
Lakeville Hampton Inn in Minneapolis has been ordered to remove all Hilton branding as of Tuesday after head office learned a policy barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was still in effect.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security sensationally accused the hotel of 'siding with murderers and rapists' as part of a 'coordinated campaign' against Trump's efforts to ramp up deportations.
'The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this,' a Hilton corporate spokesperson said on Tuesday.
But conservative influencer Nick Sorter shared a video of himself approaching hotel staff late on Monday night claiming to be a DHS employee seeking a room.
In the footage, the front desk worker told him the hotel was not allowing federal officers conducting immigration enforcement to book rooms.
The worker stated he was not aware of any changes to that policy, despite hotel management firm Everpeak Hospitality issuing a statement hours earlier vowing it was committed to 'welcoming all guests.'
'I just talked to the owner of the building, and he didn't say there had been any changes,' the employee said.
Lakeville Hampton Inn in Minneapolis has been ordered to remove all Hilton branding as of Tuesday after head office learned a policy barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was still in effect
The Department of Homeland Security sensationally accused the hotel of 'siding with murderers and rapists' as part of a 'coordinated campaign' against Trump's efforts to ramp up deportations
'We're not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS, into our property.'
After the video went viral, the Hilton corporate spokesperson said: 'A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values.'
The spokesperson said the hotel chain was taking 'immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems.'
'Hilton is — and has always been — a welcoming place for all. We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.'