Agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help support US security operations during the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, an agency spokesperson told AFP.
In a statement, ICE said its Homeland Security Investigations unit would support the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations” during the Games. It stressed that “all security operations remain under Italian authority”.
The agency also said it would not carry out immigration enforcement abroad, stating: “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
The Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22, with events hosted in Milan and the wider Lombardy region. News of ICE’s involvement has triggered strong political and public reaction in Italy, amid ongoing controversy in the United States over immigration enforcement.
Italian authorities initially denied that ICE agents would be present, before later playing down their role, suggesting they would be limited to providing security support for the US delegation.
Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala said on Tuesday that ICE agents were “not welcome” in the city. Speaking to RTL 102.5 radio, he said: “This is a militia that kills. It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it. Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?”
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are due to attend the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
On Monday, Lombardy regional president Attilio Fontana said ICE involvement would be limited to monitoring the movements of the US officials. “It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” he told reporters.
Fontana’s office later issued a clarification, saying he had no confirmed information on ICE’s presence and had been responding to a hypothetical question.
The controversy comes amid a broader immigration crackdown in the United States ordered by President Donald Trump, under which thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to cities across the country.
The agency’s actions have prompted widespread protests. Public anger intensified following the deaths of two US civilians, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both aged 37, who were killed during an immigration operation in Minneapolis.
(France 24 with AFP)
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