As Minneapolis continues to grapple with escalating anti-ICE protests, federal immigration agents are now facing a more practical and unexpected obstacle: finding a place to sleep.
According to new reporting from Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, multiple hotels in the Twin Cities have notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that previously booked rooms are no longer available, citing growing safety concerns tied to the unrest.
Melugin reported that ICE agents with reservations at the St. Paul Downtown DoubleTree by Hilton were informed their bookings had been canceled and that the hotel would temporarily close due to “heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul.” Independent verification showed the hotel was not accepting new reservations and was redirecting callers to other properties.
A similar situation reportedly unfolded at the InterContinental St. Paul, where ICE agents were told the hotel would also close temporarily amid ongoing unrest. One agent who spoke with a front desk manager said the decision was driven by concerns for staff safety after the hotel received threats related to lodging Department of Homeland Security personnel.
NEW: I’m told multiple ICE agents with rooms booked at the St. Paul Downtown Doubletree by Hilton received this notice today that their rooms are being cancelled & the hotel will temporarily close “due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul.”
I called the hotel &… pic.twitter.com/wNGsLq0vDt
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 18, 2026
On its face, the closures reflect the tense environment surrounding federal immigration operations in Minnesota following the January 7 shooting of activist Renee Good. Protests have intensified in the days since, with demonstrators targeting ICE activity and warning others when agents are believed to be nearby. From a purely security-focused perspective, hotels choosing to limit exposure during a volatile period may appear to be acting cautiously.
However, additional reporting has raised questions about whether all guests are being treated equally. NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley reported that while some hotels were described as “closing,” government employees were required to leave by midday, while other guests were permitted to remain through the end of their reservations. In the case of the DoubleTree, sources indicated the property is franchised and owned by SP Hotels, though neither the company nor Hilton corporate had responded publicly at the time of reporting.
NEW: “Due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our hotel…” Several hotels are now closing in the Twin Cities because of safety concerns—The Double Tree downtown St. Paul sliding this notification under the… pic.twitter.com/cNJu0iyDWT
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 18, 2026
The situation echoes an earlier incident involving another Minneapolis-area hotel that reportedly refused service to ICE agents after detecting an increase in government bookings. That property, formerly affiliated with Hilton, became the focus of national attention after internal communications suggested federal agents were being singled out. While Hilton has emphasized that many of its properties are independently owned and operated, the repeated pattern has fueled scrutiny over how private businesses are responding to activist pressure.
