MAGA calls for Hilton boycott after hotel turned away ICE agents

Image: Midtown Hilton hotel; Tupungato / shutterstock.com

The Department of Homeland Security accused Hilton Hotels of running a “coordinated campaign” to deny ICE agents accommodations at a Hampton Inn near Minneapolis. According to HuffPost, officers attempting to book rooms using government email addresses had their reservations canceled, with a purported email stating the hotel was “not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay.”

Conservative social media immediately caught fire. Influencer Gunther Eagleman declared that Hilton had made a critical error. Others called for Bud Light-style boycotts and claimed to have rage-canceled their Hilton Honors memberships. The usual suspects lined up to perform their outrage.

Hilton quickly distanced itself from the situation, noting that the Hampton Inn in question is independently operated, not company-owned. The hotel chain stated its properties serve as “welcoming places for all” and that the staff actions were “not reflective of Hilton values.” The property’s actual operator, Everpeak Hospitality, echoed that the behavior contradicted their welcoming policy.

None of that mattered to the online mob, of course. Hilton’s stock dropped approximately 2% following DHS’s public accusations, suggesting some investors took the boycott threats seriously. But the whole episode illustrates a familiar pattern: MAGA leaders make a public accusation against a brand name, MAGA influencers amplify it, and a franchise operator’s actions get attributed to the entire corporation. Whether this was the work of a rogue employee, a franchisee’s policy, or something else entirely, the boycott machine was already rolling before anyone could sort out the details.