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Hilton Hotels insisted on Tuesday it is a “welcoming place for all” after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleged law enforcement officers were refused service at an independently owned Minneapolis-area property, but a 2020 corporate statement indicates some U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement may not be welcomed after all.
Emails shared on social media by DHS and ICE appear to show staff at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, telling people linked to DHS reservations that the property would not allow ICE or other immigration agents to stay. Hilton ended the relationship with the franchisee and said the actions described do not reflect Hilton’s values.
Hilton said it was “taking immediate action to remove” the hotel from its systems and engaging with all franchisees to “reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.”
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Hilton objected in 2020 to immigration-related activity at another location, however, when an independently owned Hampton Inn & Suites in McAllen, Texas, “accepted reservations from a private contractor working on behalf of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement,” according to the company.
The company issued a statement in September 2020 noting that it believes hotels should not be used for detainment purposes.
“We believe that hotels should be places of hospitality, and the detainment of migrants, including minors, is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels,” Hilton said at the time.
“We understand these reservations were to house migrants, including minors, as they were transported between locations,” Hilton said at the time.
“This is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels,” the hotel giant continued. “Our policy has always been that hotels should not be used as detention centers or for detaining individuals. We expect all Hilton properties to reject business that would use a hotel in this way. We are in the process of contacting all Hilton owners and management companies in the U.S. to remind them of our policy, and provide guidance on identifying and preventing this type of business.”
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The hotel giant took a series of actions in 2020.
Hilton said it was “reinforcing our longstanding policy with all owners, management companies and hotel General Managers across the United States,” “updating and communicating our enforceable, global brand standards to make specific mention of our policy on detainment,” “reviewing with hotels in our network any possible reservations that could fit this profile and confirming their ongoing compliance with our standards” and “contacting government officials to reinforce our longstanding policy.”
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A Hilton insider dismissed the notion that the 2020 statement contradicts the current stance and noted that the Minnesota property would have been justified to turn away agents if they planned on bringing detainees inside the hotel.
“These are two very different issues… one was a detention, and the use of the hotel as a detention area in 2020,” the insider said, adding that the recent event was about lodging and who has access to lodging at Hilton hotels.
“This is a hotel chain that provides lodging for guests from various backgrounds. It is not a detention center,” the insider said. “Hilton has taken action.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
