The Minneapolis City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to approve liquor licenses for two hotels that reportedly housed ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge. The council previously delayed reapproval of those licenses two weeks ago.
On Feb. 3, council members sent a slate of liquor licenses on to the next stage of approval. However, two of those licenses were pulled out of the group and scheduled for a later vote. Those two licenses belonged to Canopy by Hilton and The Depot.
At that council meeting, the Minneapolis city attorney said the city 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.”
Despite this, council members moved to delay the liquor licenses for both hotels. In short, council members claimed that ICE agents had stayed at those hotels, and that ICE agents are known to use hotel bars to get drunk and engage in illegal behavior.
As such, councilors said they wanted to delay reapproval of the liquor licenses and have a public hearing on the subject to “try to figure out how we can ensure greater public safety” and bring “accountability.”
Five council members opposed the motion to delay. Those city councilors questioned the legality of delaying a liquor license if all legal requirements had been met. Additionally, the group warned about potential lawsuits against the city.
Council Member Pearll Warren, who opposed delaying reapproval of the licenses, said “this just smells real discriminatory to me.”
Minneapolis’ business licensing department noted that the liquor licenses for both hotels have already been certified with the state. As such, the department explained that the two hotels can continue serving liquor until those licenses are either “withdrawn or denied.”
On an 8-5 vote, the council chose to delay consideration of the liquor licenses. The vote on whether to advance those liquor licenses, and the public hearing on the matter, is scheduled for Tuesday at Minneapolis City Hall.
Now, Minnesota’s trade association for hotels and other hospitality services is asking its members to speak out, calling the delay in reapproval a “legally questionable” and “performative move” that “sets a dangerous precedent of government overreach.”
“A business license should not be held hostage due to factors that are unrelated to health, safety, and compliance with laws or regulations,” Hospitality Minnesota said in an email to its members.
In Minneapolis, liquor licenses are renewed every year. If the city finds that a business has met all legal requirements for its liquor license, then the renewal is brought to a city council committee for consideration.
If approved by the committee, the liquor license is then sent to the full city council for a vote. Once approved, the license then goes to the mayor for final approval. The liquor licenses for Canopy by Hilton and The Depot are currently in the committee stage.
“A hotel’s liquor license is not something to be used as a performative political prop — not when these licenses are required to earn the revenue that keeps the business open and the staff employed,” Hospitality Minnesota said.
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.
