Ice in Minneapolis as a travel alert in January 2026 would not be considered unusual if referring to the weather; but ICE — which is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States — is to what this travel alert pertains.
ICE in Minneapolis: January 2026 Travel Alert
Reports from different sources indicate that agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be expanding their presence at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport over the next three weeks.
The agents are purportedly expected to start checking the official documents of both travelers and workers at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport — including in the terminal and on jet bridges.
Although official confirmation of this development has not been publicly released from the airport at the time this article was written, the Metropolitan Airports Commission — which oversees the operations of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and six other airports in Minnesota — “is aware of increased concern related to immigration enforcement activity by federal agencies” at the airport, according to this official public statement that also includes frequently asked questions:
The safety and security of MSP Airport and the MSP Airport community – including our valued businesses, workers and passengers – is our number one priority.
MSP is a public-use airport subject to federal regulation. Federal agents have broad access to airport property, and our airport will follow all federal legal regulations.
We expect that all federal officers (including CBP and TSA) will continue to do their best to keep MSP running smoothly and will act with the professionalism and respect that MSP is known for.
In other words, the statement neither confirms nor denies the claims.
Citizens of the United States are technically not required to show identification to agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; but holders of green card holders are required to have official identification on them at all times.
Hotel Properties Closing or Refusing Rooms to Guests
Rumors have been swirling on social media that the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St Paul Downtown hotel property is temporarily closing and not accepting new reservations. I personally called the hotel property earlier today, Monday, January 19, 2026 to verify and confirm this information.
“Hello. I understand through reports in social media that this hotel is closing down temporarily. Is this true?” I asked the woman who answered the telephone.
“Could you please hold on while I verify this information?” she asked — but sounding like she was caught off guard and did not know whether to respond to my question.
“Sure”, I replied.
After a moment on hold, the woman returned and said, “The information about which you are asking is true” — almost as though she was reading from a written prepared statement.
“Can you please tell me the dates when the hotel is closing and reopening?” I asked.
“We do not know the dates at this time”, she replied.
I found that entire conversation to be bizarre.
This development comes after another hotel property in the Hilton portfolio of brands was accused of refusing and canceling the reservations of guests who were thought to be agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As a result of growing public backlash, Hilton was forced to release the following statement on its official X account…
…and the Hampton Inn Lakeville Minneapolis hotel property was stripped of its Hampton Inn brand designation, with the signage immediately removed and no longer part of the Hilton portfolio of brands — but only after a representative of the hotel property allegedly lied about no longer banning agents of the Department of Homeland Security from staying at the hotel property.
Final Boarding Call
If you are traveling to Minneapolis, ensure that you have official identification that was issued by a state government or by a federal government — especially if you are a citizen of the United States who was not born in this country.
Also, if you have booked reservations at a hotel property in the greater metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, call ahead to the hotel property and confirm that your reservation is still booked, as the possibility of more hotel properties closing as a result of what is going on in Minneapolis increases.
The situation in Minneapolis has become increasingly volatile, with at least one fatality that occurred. Protests are becoming increasingly physical and disruptive as some of the agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are reportedly overstepping their boundaries as federal law enforcement officers. I personally believe that both sides share plenty of fault and blame for what has already happened.
I will just say this: the current issues of the United States will never be resolved until the behavior of members of both the extreme conservative right and the extreme liberal left is reined in and saner, more moderate leadership steps in with a thoughtful doable roadmap on how to finally move forward…
Photographs ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
