Anti-ICE protesters have been finding unique ways to express their dissatisfaction with ICE agents’ actions. What started with simple protests turned into something more. For a while now, the protesters have been finding out where ICE agents are staying. They would then go outside the hotel where the agents are and start their protests there. Their protest was loud music, cheering while dancing, and even honking. Now, Hilton Hotels in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have had enough of this. Since they can’t do anything to the protesters, they shifted their focus to the agents themselves. The solution they came up with to stop protesters from annoying their guests was to ban ICE agents from staying at any of their branches.
While the protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and everywhere else might be happy with what Hilton did, Homeland Security isn’t delighted. Their way of expressing their dissatisfaction had already caused outrage. On a tweet shared through X, Homeland Security wrote, “NO ROOM AT THE INN.” Using a biblical verse about ICE agents didn’t sit well with many people. The rest of the tweet mentioned how Hilton Hotels has launched a “coordinated campaign” to refuse service to ICE agents. “When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.” They also claimed in the tweet that this “unacceptable” action makes Hilton side with immigrants.
In screenshots provided by Homeland Security, emails from Hilton Hotels were sent to agents who tried to book in Minneapolis. One email read, “After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be canceling your upcoming reservation.” Another email from Hilton also said, “We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation.” The email also included a section instructing the recipient to inform his coworkers that they are no longer allowed on the hotel’s property. It might be better for business.
People Reacting to Minneapolis Hilton Hotels’ Decision
A lot of people were quite happy with the decision taken by Hilton Hotels in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to ban ICE agents. This led many people to promise to use the hotel chain from now on. “Hilton is officially my favorite hotel chain now!” one person wrote. Another person then replied, “To be honest, they are probably worried about the property being damaged or long term brand damage. Not worth the few thousand they collect in room fees.” Someone else also said, “They’re a private business, they can do whatever they want.” Others were upset by the biblical reference used in Homeland Security’s tweet. “‘No room at the inn’ Comparing themselves to Jesus. Classic,” one Redditor said. This made another person reply, “Especially considering Jesus would be on ICE’s short list.”
The news coming from Minneapolis, Minnesota quickly made people rush to Hilton Hotels’ Instagram page to express their feelings. Just like dozens of comments said they were now booking with them, others criticized the hotel chain. “Canceling my Hilton Honors membership unless you support our law enforcement. I stay at Doubletree at least 4 times a year but that can change,” one person wrote. Another person asked, “Can we sue you for discrimination since you are discriminating against the Government?” Hilton might lose customers because of its anti-ICE decision, but it will still win new customers who support it.
