Hilton’s 2020 Opposition to Hotel Use for Migrant Detention
Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker joins ‘Varney & Co.’ as scrutiny intensifies over the Minnesota fraud scandal.
On Tuesday, Hilton Hotels reaffirmed its commitment to being a “welcoming place for all” following allegations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that law enforcement officers were denied service at an independently owned Minneapolis-area property. However, a corporate statement from 2020 suggests that some U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may not be welcome after all.
Emails circulated on social media by DHS and ICE indicate that staff at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, informed individuals associated with DHS reservations that the hotel would not accommodate ICE or other immigration agents. In response, Hilton terminated its relationship with the franchisee, asserting that the actions described do not align with the company’s values.
Hilton stated it was “taking immediate action to remove” the hotel from its systems and is engaging with all franchisees to “reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.”
HILTON DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MINNEAPOLIS HOTEL AFTER ICE AGENTS DENIED ROOMS
The Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, where ICE says agents’ reservations were canceled, prompting a Hilton investigation. ( / Google Maps)
Interestingly, Hilton had previously objected to immigration-related activities at another location. In 2020, 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.
In a statement issued in September 2020, Hilton emphasized its belief that hotels should not be utilized 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,” the company stated.
Hilton further clarified, “We understand these reservations were to house migrants, including minors, as they were transported between locations. This is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels.” The hotel giant reiterated its policy that hotels should not be used as detention centers and committed to contacting all Hilton owners and management companies in the U.S. to remind them of this policy.
NICK SHIRLEY SAYS ‘LEFTISTS’ ARE ‘COMING AFTER ME’ FOR EXPOSING MINNESOTA FRAUD
ICE and DHS alleged law enforcement officers were refused service at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post / Getty Images)
In light of these events, Hilton has taken a series of actions to reinforce its policies. The company is “reinforcing our longstanding policy with all owners, management companies, and hotel General Managers across the United States,” updating and communicating its global brand standards to specifically mention its policy on detainment, and reviewing any possible reservations that could fit this profile.
A Hilton insider clarified that the 2020 statement does not contradict the current stance, explaining that the Minnesota incident was about lodging access rather than detention. “These are two very different issues… one was a detention, and the use of the hotel as a detention area in 2020,” the insider noted. “This is a hotel chain that provides lodging for guests from various backgrounds. It is not a detention center,” the insider concluded. “Hilton has taken action.”
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Former acting I.C.E. director Jonathan Fahey discusses negative net migration and the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the border on Varney & Co.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Fox News contributor and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker joins ‘Varney & Co.’ as scrutiny intensifies over the Minnesota fraud scandal.
On Tuesday, Hilton Hotels reaffirmed its commitment to being a “welcoming place for all” following allegations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that law enforcement officers were denied service at an independently owned Minneapolis-area property. However, a corporate statement from 2020 suggests that some U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents may not be welcome after all.
Emails circulated on social media by DHS and ICE indicate that staff at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, informed individuals associated with DHS reservations that the hotel would not accommodate ICE or other immigration agents. In response, Hilton terminated its relationship with the franchisee, asserting that the actions described do not align with the company’s values.
Hilton stated it was “taking immediate action to remove” the hotel from its systems and is engaging with all franchisees to “reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.”
HILTON DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MINNEAPOLIS HOTEL AFTER ICE AGENTS DENIED ROOMS
The Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, where ICE says agents’ reservations were canceled, prompting a Hilton investigation. ( / Google Maps)
Interestingly, Hilton had previously objected to immigration-related activities at another location. In 2020, 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.
In a statement issued in September 2020, Hilton emphasized its belief that hotels should not be utilized 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,” the company stated.
Hilton further clarified, “We understand these reservations were to house migrants, including minors, as they were transported between locations. This is not activity that we support or in any way want associated with our hotels.” The hotel giant reiterated its policy that hotels should not be used as detention centers and committed to contacting all Hilton owners and management companies in the U.S. to remind them of this policy.
NICK SHIRLEY SAYS ‘LEFTISTS’ ARE ‘COMING AFTER ME’ FOR EXPOSING MINNESOTA FRAUD
ICE and DHS alleged law enforcement officers were refused service at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post / Getty Images)
In light of these events, Hilton has taken a series of actions to reinforce its policies. The company is “reinforcing our longstanding policy with all owners, management companies, and hotel General Managers across the United States,” updating and communicating its global brand standards to specifically mention its policy on detainment, and reviewing any possible reservations that could fit this profile.
A Hilton insider clarified that the 2020 statement does not contradict the current stance, explaining that the Minnesota incident was about lodging access rather than detention. “These are two very different issues… one was a detention, and the use of the hotel as a detention area in 2020,” the insider noted. “This is a hotel chain that provides lodging for guests from various backgrounds. It is not a detention center,” the insider concluded. “Hilton has taken action.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Former acting I.C.E. director Jonathan Fahey discusses negative net migration and the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the border on Varney & Co.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
