The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has confirmed its support for U.S. security arrangements at the Winter Olympics in Italy this February, despite sparking anger and warnings from Italian officials that its agents were not welcome.
In a statement, ICE said its Homeland Security Investigations unit will work with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities to vet and mitigate risks posed by transnational criminal organizations.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”
The question of ICE agents’ presence sparked debate in Italy over the weekend, amid heightened tensions following the shooting death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents linked to immigration enforcement.
The Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala initially denied that ICE agents would be present before later downplaying their role, saying they would be limited to providing security support for the U.S. delegation.
“This is a militia that kills. It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan; there’s no doubt about it. They are not aligned with our democratic way of managing security,” Sala said.
ICE Operations in Italy
ICE clarified that its activities in Italy are separate from the immigration crackdown carried out by its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) department, highlighting that it does not conduct immigration enforcement abroad.
The protection of U.S. citizens during overseas Olympic Games is led by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
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However, outrage over ICE’s domestic immigration operations has resonated in Italy, particularly following the deaths of two civilians during enforcement actions in Minneapolis.
Alessandro Zan, a member of the European Parliament from Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party, condemned the situation as unacceptable.
“In Italy, we don’t want those who trample on human rights and act outside of any democratic control,” Zan said.
US Officials’ Presence at the Winter Olympics
The US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio further confirmed that they are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
Additionally, the president of the northern Lombardy region, which is hosting several of the Olympic events, said ICE’s involvement would be limited to monitoring Vance and Rubio.
“It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” said Attilio Fontana
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However, his office then issued a statement saying he had no information about their presence and that he was responding to a hypothetical question.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed by President Donald Trump in various US cities to carry out a crackdown on undocumented immigration.
Their actions have prompted widespread protests, and the recent killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, on the streets of Minneapolis, have led to outrage.
Elsewhere, The US will host the 2028 Summer Olympics, with the Games being staged in Los Angeles.
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