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Downtown St. Paul DoubleTree Cancels Reservations, Citing “Heightened Public Safety Concerns” Amid Reports of ICE Agent Bookings
St. Paul, MN – The DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown St.
Paul has reportedly canceled all reservations and temporarily closed its doors, citing “heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul.”
The announcement comes amidst reports that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had bookings at the hotel.
A letter bearing the DoubleTree by Hilton St. Paul insignia, widely shared on social media Sunday morning, informed guests of the temporary closure and the cancellation of all reservations by noon on Sunday, January 18.
“We are taking this step out of care for you, our team members, and the surrounding community,” the statement read. It also acknowledged the “unexpected” nature of the departure and offered assistance with “alternate accommodations if needed.” As a gesture of goodwill, the hotel stated it would either refund guests’ last night’s stay or cover the first night’s stay at a new hotel at the same rate as the canceled reservation.
Attempts to reach the DoubleTree by Hilton location for comment were unsuccessful.
This incident follows accusations made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a few weeks prior, alleging that Hilton Hotels in Minneapolis were refusing rooms to ICE agents. DHS described this as a “coordinated campaign” against its law enforcement efforts in the city.
In a post on social media, DHS shared what it claimed were screenshots from Hilton Hotels, showing staff allegedly refusing to book rooms for ICE agents. “When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.
This is UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?”
read the DHS post.
Alleged emails from Hilton employees indicated that they had identified guests as federal agents linked to immigration operations and subsequently canceled their bookings. One email reportedly stated, in part, “We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.”
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, offered a different perspective on social media, stating, “Hilton is a rational business like any other, and it should be free to provide service or not to anyone it pleases. DHS is free to book elsewhere. Glad there is freedom somewhere in this great nation of ours.”