Several Minnesota hotels have temporarily closed their doors during the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing safety concerns.
In downtown St. Paul, the Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront Hotel and the St. Paul Hilton DoubleTree Hotel notified the public on Sunday that they had suspended operations. Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, which owns both properties, said the move was in response to “elevated safety and security concerns” in a Facebook post.
The Hilton Canopy hotel is open but not accepting reservations, according to the Associated Press. All three hotels have been the site of protests, with demonstrators saying ICE officers booked stays there. ICE officers were told by management at the Intercontinental that the suspensions were done to “protect staff because they have been getting threats from unknown individuals for lodging” Department of Homeland Security personnel, according to Fox News.
Some reports have alleged that only ICE officers and other federal officials were told to leave the DoubleTree location, while other guests were allowed to stay for their reservations. The Washington Examiner reached out to the company for details.
Minneapolis officials have warned that the city is headed toward a tipping point, similar to the riots that broke out there during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd.
“We’re in this 2020 moment where all these tensions have been building, and I’m afraid we’re gonna have another moment where it all explodes,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CBS News on Sunday.
Downtown St. Paul is about 2 miles from the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where protesters have clashed with federal officers. Demonstrations have also continued at Targets in the area, with ICE critics calling on the chain to keep federal officers from carrying out immigration sweeps in its stores.
Tensions have been building since an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. Good has been accused by the Trump administration of trying to kill officers during the encounter, sparking protests due to criticism that ICE handled the situation poorly and that the White House untruthfully magnified the threat she posed.
DOJ PROBING ANTI-ICE PROTEST AT MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH SERVICE
Demonstrations have stretched on for over two weeks, turning violent at times. President Donald Trump has threatened to send in federal troops under the Insurrection Act to take over the city, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, sparked backlash over the weekend for suggesting demonstrators should be confined to “protest zones.”
Leading Democratic officials in the state have characterized ICE officers as terrorists and have called on residents to demonstrate against federal immigration officials and film their activity. They have also urged residents against violence, warning that doing so will invite more federal oversight from the Trump administration, likely leading to the militarization of the city.