Hilton drops and GSA delists Minnesota Hampton Inn over repeated ICE booking refusals
After emails and a viral video showed the Hampton Inn Lakeville — an independently owned Everpeak Hospitality franchise — canceling and later denying stays to ICE/immigration agents (including a conservative journalist posing as a DHS agent), Hilton said the actions were not reflective of its values, that the owner had apologized, and removed the hotel from its systems, effectively ending the franchise relationship. The General Services Administration then delisted the property from FedRooms and other GSA lodging programs and terminated emergency and long‑term federal bookings, saying the hotel violated program requirements and affirming support for federal law enforcement.
📌 Key Facts
- The General Services Administration removed the Hampton Inn Lakeville from all GSA lodging programs and booking tools (including FedRooms) and terminated emergency and long‑term lodging arrangements after confirming the property refused to house ICE and immigration agents.
- Hilton said it was “removing the hotel from its systems,” effectively severing the franchise relationship after a second incident in which a conservative journalist posing as a DHS agent was denied a stay and posted a recording online.
- DHS had publicized email exchanges in which the hotel said it would not allow ICE or immigration agents to stay, and a viral video showed staff continuing to deny agents even after Hilton issued a corporate apology.
- Hilton’s corporate statement said the Hampton Inn Lakeville is independently owned, that the cancellations were “not reflective of Hilton values,” and that the hotel owner apologized; Everpeak Hospitality (the independent owner) said the original cancellations were “inconsistent with their policies.”
- The property had provided roughly 130 nights of accommodation for federal agents last year before being delisted.
- Axios reported Hilton shares fell about 2% after DHS publicized the initial email exchange, and noted roughly 9,000 Hilton properties are mostly franchise‑operated, raising broader reputational‑risk questions about the franchise model.
- GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said the hotel was in “clear violation” of government lodging program requirements and that GSA “unequivocally supports our federal law enforcement partners.”
- Fox noted broader context: DHS has a heavy presence in Minnesota amid a daycare‑fraud investigation, and federal lodging programs cover a workforce exceeding 4 million when including active‑duty military and civilians.
📊 Relevant Data
In the Minnesota daycare fraud scandals, federal prosecutors have charged over 70 individuals in the Feeding Our Future case alone, with the vast majority being Somali immigrants or Somali-Americans, representing a significant overrepresentation given that Somalis comprise about 1.4% of Minnesota's population.
Fraud in Minnesota: Detailing the nearly $1 billion in schemes — FOX 9
The total alleged fraud in Minnesota's social service programs, including daycare and food aid schemes, amounts to nearly $1 billion since 2020, with the Feeding Our Future scam alone involving over $250 million in stolen federal funds intended for child nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact Check Team: Exploring the billions of alleged fraud in Minnesota — KOMO News
Somali immigration to Minnesota began in the early 1990s due to the Somali Civil War, facilitated by U.S. refugee resettlement policies under the Refugee Act of 1980, with initial placements by voluntary agencies like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and Catholic Charities, leading to chain migration where family reunification and community networks attracted over 80,000 Somalis by 2025.
Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota — MNopedia
Somalis in Minnesota have a poverty rate of approximately 50% as of 2023, compared to the state average of 9.3%, with high reliance on public assistance programs, which may correlate with geographic concentration in urban areas like the Twin Cities where social services are accessible.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
📰 Sources (3)
- The General Services Administration has removed the Hampton Inn Lakeville from all GSA lodging programs and booking tools, including FedRooms, after confirming it refused to house ICE and immigration agents.
- GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst, a Trump appointee sworn in on Christmas Eve, said the hotel was in 'clear violation' of government lodging program requirements and that GSA 'unequivocally supports our federal law enforcement partners.'
- GSA also terminated emergency lodging services and long‑term lodging arrangements at the property, which had previously provided about 130 nights of accommodation for federal agents last year.
- Fox reports that the delisting followed DHS‑posted emails stating the hotel would not allow ICE or immigration agents to stay and a viral video showing staff continuing to deny agents even after Hilton’s corporate apology.
- The article reiterates that DHS has a heavy presence in Minnesota due to the broader daycare‑fraud scandal and notes that the federal workforce covered by such programs exceeds 4 million when including active‑duty military and civilians.
- Hilton issued a corporate statement saying the Hampton Inn Lakeville is independently owned, that the cancellations were 'not reflective of Hilton values,' and that the hotel owner has apologized.
- On Monday evening, a conservative journalist posing as a DHS agent attempted to stay at the Hampton Inn Lakeville, was denied, and posted a recording of the encounter online.
- After this second incident, Hilton said it was 'removing the hotel from its systems,' effectively severing the franchise relationship.
- Everpeak Hospitality, the independent owner of the Hampton Inn, publicly stated that the original cancellations were 'inconsistent with their policies.'
- Axios notes Hilton shares fell about 2% after DHS publicized the initial email exchange and that roughly 9,000 Hilton properties are mostly franchise‑operated, raising broader reputational‑risk questions about the model.