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The surge of ICE activity in Minneapolis has led tens of thousands of people to flood downtown for a variety of protests against ICE. But it's kept many others— like those afraid of violence, harassment or arrest by ICE agents— far away from downtown. Events from graduations to conferences to concerts have been canceled or moved outside of the city. The tourism organization Meet Minneapolis conducted a survey about the impact of ICE on tourism in the city. 

Of the 101 restaurants, event businesses, hotels, arts organizations, attractions and service providers that responded to the survey, 80 percent said they have had canceled, postponed or reduced bookings and sales as a result of ICE activity. 90 percent of those businesses said that fear and stress is affecting the operations of their business.

A senior vice president at Meet Minneapolis, Courtney Ries, told MPR News that the 13 Minneapolis hotels that responded to the survey said they lost around $3 million in revenue from the ICE surge this year. That’s after more than 40 groups and events connected to the hotels canceled, including two large events at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

“When travelers are looking at Minneapolis, there is a lot of uncertainty,” Ries said. “Our job is to advocate for our community and businesses. Who have obviously experienced a lot of heartbreaking emotions over the killings as well as the struggle for businesses to survive.“

According to Meet Minneapolis, of 2,030 American travelers surveyed, nearly half said they would avoid travelling to an area with visible ICE activity.

“This is a very acute situation for many of these businesses. We’re seeing a lot of questions about how event attendees are going to feel when they come into the city,” Ries said. “We’ll continue to host things like the auto show, the boat show, the totally rad vintage fest, the Minnesota school board association meetings, but with more information because attendees have more questions.”

— Minnesota Now guest host Kelly Gordon and producer Ellen Finn

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In a survey by Meet Minneapolis, businesses in the hospitality industry report cancellations and reduced sales. When asking travelers about their plans to visit, 20 percent said they altered their travel plans to the city. 

Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.

Minneapolis hospitality industry reports serious disruption during ICE surge

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