Liquor license renewals for two hotels have been advanced by the Minneapolis City Council two weeks after the council intentionally delayed renewal of those licenses amid reports of ICE agents staying at those hotels.
On Feb. 3, the liquor licenses for Canopy by Hilton and The Renaissance Depot were being considered by the council for renewal alongside a slate of other liquor licenses. However, the council voted 8-5 to delay renewal of the licenses belonging to Canopy and The Depot.
This was done despite the fact that the Minneapolis city attorney said city staff found that the hotels in question “comply with all applicable liquor licensing laws and ordinances and regulations, and therefore they are eligible to have the license renewed.”
The reason for the delay?
Council members said ICE agents had stayed at the two hotels in question, and they heard reports of ICE agents using hotel bars to get drunk and engage in illegal behavior. Council members said a public hearing was necessary to learn if such activity had occurred at the two hotels in question.
As such, the council delayed renewal of the liquor licenses and scheduled a public hearing to gather testimony from those affected by ICE’s alleged behavior at hotels.
The public hearing, and a new vote on the liquor licenses, happened Tuesday. However, just seven people showed up to testify about ICE’s alleged behavior, and none had first-person accounts of bad behavior by ICE at hotels.
In fact, one of the testifiers was a hotel worker and union member who told the council that “claims that these [hotels] are contracting with ICE, or overpouring liquor to agents are false and deeply damaging.”
After the public testimony concluded, Council Member Aurin Chowdhury made a motion to again delay renewal of the two hotels’ liquor licenses in order for city licensing staff to investigate claims about ICE getting drunk at hotels and misbehaving.
That motion would have delayed the two hotels’ license renewal process into March. Had those licenses not been singled out two weeks ago, the council would have almost certainly approved them alongside a slate of other liquor licenses that were approved on Feb. 5.
Council Members Michael Rainville, LaTrish Vetaw, and Pearll Warren were outspoken about their opposition to delaying the license renewal any longer.
Rainville, who represents the city ward where both hotels are located, said he had spoken with the hotels and learned that they had already experienced reservation cancellations due to the cloud that is hanging over their liquor licenses.
The city attorney recommended that the council advance the liquor licenses for a final vote by the council on Thursday and said there was a “risk” in delaying any further. Vetaw previously warned that the city was opening itself up to a lawsuit by delaying the process.
Chowdhury’s motion to have staff investigate claims and delay the process was ultimately defeated in a 6-7 vote.
Subsequently, the council voted 11-2 to advance the licenses without recommendation to the full city council for a final vote on Thursday, Feb. 19. City staff were instructed to investigate claims about ICE conduct at the hotels and report back at Thursday’s meeting.
Chowdhury had expressed earlier that the Thursday deadline was not enough time for city staff to investigate the situation. However, city staff said they believed they could gather the necessary information in the next two days.
While the two liquor licenses are currently being considered by the city council, Minneapolis licensing staff previously explained that those licenses are currently valid and can be used to serve liquor until those licenses are either “withdrawn or denied.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
