The Minneapolis City Council has delayed renewing liquor licenses for two hotels that housed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, citing public safety issues from recent protests. Officials voted to investigate further despite warnings of legal risks. The move comes after anti-ICE demonstrations targeted the properties last month.
In early February, the Minneapolis City Council debated renewing liquor licenses for the Depot and Canopy hotels, both of which accommodated ICE agents during a recent immigration operation. The hotels faced protests by anti-ICE demonstrators last month, leading to a standoff with state police. On Tuesday, the council delayed the renewals, and on Thursday, members voted 11-2 to launch an investigation into safety concerns, postponing the process further, as reported by CBS News.
Council chair Aurin Chowdhury emphasized the body's responsibility, stating, “It’s our job as council members to do what we can to further investigate and address those concerns and public safety is one of the No. 1 things that we do as a body,” according to Kare 11.
However, concerns arose about the delays' implications. Council member Elizabeth Shaffer warned, “Not respecting staff input and opinion here could have tremendous legal and financial impact.” She added that the holdup might convey that Minneapolis “is not a safe place to do business.” City attorney Quinn O’Reilly clarified that housing ICE agents does not justify denying the licenses, explaining, “As we advised previously, there needs to be connection between licensed activity and identifying concerns. So who stays at the hotel, there’s no nexus between the license activity, which is the serving of alcohol and the activity that which we are concerned.”
Mayor Jacob Frey highlighted the hotels' importance, describing them as “economic engines for our city” and noting, “Revoking their licenses doesn’t just hurt the venue — it hurts the workers, vendors, and nonprofits that rely on these spaces to keep running.”
The protests included gatherings outside the Canopy Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2026, where demonstrators banged instruments and displayed signs reading “WE’VE DONE IT BEFORE AND WE’LL DO IT AGAIN.”
Meanwhile, White House border czar Tom Homan announced last week the end of “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis, stating, “I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that the surge operation conclude.” He assured continued deportation efforts, with a drawdown underway but officers reassigned elsewhere to address public safety risks and fulfill border security promises.
