Lakeville Hampton Inn stripped of Hilton branding; exterior signage removed after ICE booking refusals
Hilton has removed its branding from the Hampton Inn in Lakeville and the property's exterior Hampton signage was taken down after ICE and DHS said the hotel refused to book immigration‑enforcement agents. DHS provided emails showing reservations were canceled because of "immigration work," and after Hilton apologized and initially pledged corrective action, the company cut ties and began removing the property from its system following undercover video showing staff still denying ICE/DHS bookings; the hotel will continue operating under its current ownership without Hilton/Hampton branding while the situation is reviewed.
📌 Key Facts
- Hilton has formally removed its branding and name from the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville and is cutting ties with the franchise; the hotel will no longer operate under the Hilton/Hampton brand while ownership continues to run the property.
- DHS says the hotel 'maliciously cancelled' reservations for ICE/DHS investigators, providing an email it says shows a cancellation citing 'immigration work connected with your name,' and characterizing the action as part of a broader, coordinated campaign to deny service to its personnel.
- Hilton and the local Minnesota property issued apologies, acknowledged that citing 'immigration work' as a reason for cancellation violated Hilton policy, and said they are addressing the incident with the property and staff (including training and disciplinary review) while engaging franchisees to reinforce expectations.
- A conservative journalist, Nick Sortor, visited the Lakeville Hampton Inn posing as a DHS worker and was again refused rooms; undercover follow-up video showing staff denying bookings to federal immigration agents was cited by Hilton in its decision to sever the relationship.
- Hilton said it is removing the property from its system specifically because video evidence shows the hotel is not meeting Hilton standards and values; Everpeak Hospitality (the manager) had said it was addressing the issue, but the undercover visit indicated the policy remained in effect.
- ICE/DHS posted photos showing the Hampton Inn Lakeville’s exterior Hampton signage being taken down, and DHS publicly linked the signage removal to the earlier refusals to book ICE agents.
- The signage takedown and Hilton's action occurred amid the broader Operation Metro Surge and recent Twin Cities hotel protests over ICE lodging; the Lakeville property still appeared in some online bookings early in the transition, and public details about next steps for ownership/branding remain limited.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2024, approximately 107,000 people of Somali descent lived in Minnesota, representing about 2% of the state's total population.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
The majority of Somalis in Minnesota arrived as refugees fleeing the civil war in Somalia starting in the early 1990s, resettled through voluntary agencies (VOLAGs) such as Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities under the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980.
History of Somalis in Minneapolis–Saint Paul — Wikipedia
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, launched in late 2025, has resulted in the arrest of more than 400 noncitizens, including those with criminal convictions for serious offenses like rape and child abuse, with a focus on Somali immigrants.
ICE's Operation Metro Surge has sparked fear and anxiety in Minnesota's Somali community, leading to incidents where individuals were targeted in businesses and vehicles, causing community hubs to fall silent and families to be torn apart.
As ICE raids target Minnesota Somalis, community hubs fall silent — Sahan Journal
Somali-owned businesses in the Twin Cities have reported struggling amid ICE's Operation Metro Surge, with increased fear among Latino and Somali communities leading to reduced activity.
Twin Cities Latino, Somali businesses struggling amid ICE's Operation Metro Surge — CBS News
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and contribute about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
From 2019 to 2023, about 36% of Somali Minnesotans lived below the poverty line, compared to the U.S. poverty rate of 11.1%.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- ICE publicly posted photos showing the Hampton Inn Lakeville’s exterior Hampton signage being taken down.
- DHS again publicly castigated the hotel for refusing to book ICE agents earlier in the week, tying the takedown explicitly to those denials.
- The article situates the signage removal within the broader context of Operation Metro Surge and recent Twin Cities hotel protests over ICE lodging.
- Confirms that Hilton has formally removed its name/branding from the Lakeville Hampton Inn following the ICE booking controversy.
- Clarifies that the hotel will no longer operate under the Hilton or Hampton brand while the ownership continues to run the property.
- Adds updated Hilton/owner statements (or lack thereof) about next steps for the property and reiterates that refusal of bookings based on guests’ employer conflicts with Hilton’s policies.
- Hilton now says it is 'taking immediate action to remove' the Lakeville Hampton Inn from its system after concluding the franchisee failed to correct the discriminatory booking practice.
- A conservative journalist, Nick Sortor, went to the Lakeville Hampton Inn late Monday posing as a DHS worker and was again refused rooms, with a front‑desk employee saying the hotel still would not accept ICE/DHS/immigration enforcement guests and that the owner had not changed the policy.
- Hilton’s decision to remove the property is specifically based on that new video evidence, which the chain says shows the hotel is not meeting Hilton standards and values; Hilton also says it is engaging all franchisees to reinforce its expectations.
- Everpeak Hospitality, the management company, had told Hilton and media it was 'swiftly' addressing the problem, but the undercover visit showed the policy was still in effect hours later.
- The article identifies the exact property as the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville and notes that, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, it still appeared in online booking, suggesting a transition period as removal takes effect.
- The article reports that Hilton has now moved from warning/corrective steps to fully cutting ties with the Lakeville Hampton Inn franchise for repeatedly refusing rooms to DHS agents.
- It reiterates that undercover follow‑up showed staff still denying bookings to federal immigration agents even after corporate said the issue had been addressed, which Hilton cites in its decision to sever the relationship.
- The piece situates the decision explicitly in the context of the larger Twin Cities ICE/DHS surge and local political backlash, framing the hotel as an example of private businesses resisting participation.
- Hilton and the specific Minnesota Hilton/DoubleTree property issued formal apologies for the email canceling ICE agents’ hotel rooms.
- The companies acknowledged that the message citing 'immigration work' as the reason for cancellation violated Hilton’s corporate policies.
- Hilton stated that the reservation should not have been canceled on that basis and said it is addressing the incident with the property and staff involved (e.g., training/disciplinary review).
- This Alpha News piece republishes/expands on DHS’s claim that the Minneapolis Hilton 'maliciously cancelled' reservations for ICE and DHS investigators because of their immigration-enforcement work.
- It highlights DHS’s framing that the cancellations were deliberate discrimination against federal officers, adding rhetorical emphasis beyond prior neutral summaries.
- The article reinforces that DHS provided email evidence showing a Hilton email stating the reservation was being canceled due to 'immigration work connected with your name,' and that DHS characterizes this as part of a broader 'coordinated campaign' to deny service to its personnel.