There is growing anger in Italy over the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to support US security operations at next month’s Winter Olympics.
Following two fatal shootings during immigration raids in Minneapolis, current and former members of Congress have called on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to intervene to stop the agents’ presence.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the report in a statement to CNN on Tuesday.
A DHS spokesperson said ICE will play a “security role” at the Olympics. “They clearly do not perform immigration (business) in a foreign country,” the spokesperson said.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said late Tuesday that “all security operations remain under Italian authority,” adding that the agency is “supporting” U.S. diplomatic security at the Games.
“For the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Diplomatic Security and the host nation in vetting and mitigating risks posed by transnational criminal organizations,” McLaughlin said in a statement on CNN.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN that the agency has supported security for U.S. diplomats at past Olympics, including with Homeland Security Investigations as part of ICE. The State Department also specified that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security is leading security operations in Milan.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi spoke with U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta on Tuesday and confirmed that ICE’s investigative arm, rather than its operations arm, would be participating in the Milan-Cortina Olympics, the interior ministry said. The ministry said in a social media post: “The agency will work exclusively within its diplomatic missions overseas, not on-site.”
“It is important to reiterate that Homeland Security Investigations agents are represented by individuals who specialize solely in investigations, not by personnel working in U.S. immigration enforcement,” the department added.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani sought to allay his colleagues’ concerns about using ICE in the wake of increasingly aggressive tactics by the U.S. diplomatic and security agency.
“Let me be clear: They are not here to maintain security in the middle of the city. They are here to cooperate in the war room,” Tajani told Italian radio station RAI on Tuesday.
“They’re not on the streets of Minneapolis,” the foreign minister said. “It’s not like the SS is coming.
“The problem is not that people with machine guns are coming with their faces covered. They are coming from a specific unit. They are coming because that is the unit responsible for counter-terrorism,” Tajani added.
Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called on the Italian government to “set its own limits” and “make clear decisions”.
“Following street violence and murders in the United States, I have learned from a spokesperson that ICE agents will be coming to Italy to ensure the safety of the Milan-Cortina Olympics,” Conte wrote on X Tuesday, referring to reports in Italian media citing ICE.
“We cannot tolerate this,” he added. “Although our government tried to downplay the situation, these latest statements clearly demonstrate ICE’s determination to come to Italy and ensure its ‘safety’. Enough bowing is enough,” Conte added.
The same day, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala declared that “ICE is not needed” for authorities to carry out Olympic security, telling local radio: “They are not welcome in Milan.”
“This is a militia that kills people,” Sala told Italian radio station RTL 102.5 on Tuesday. “Can we say ‘no’ to President Trump? This is not an issue that will cause a rupture of relations or a diplomatic issue, but can we say ‘no’?”
“I believe they should not come to Italy, because there is no guarantee that they will be in line with our democratic security management methods,” Sala added.
Another Italian lawmaker warned ICE agents: “Do not set foot in Italy.” “This is a violent, unprepared and out-of-control militia,” veteran politician Carlo Calenda said on RTL 102.5 on Tuesday.
Italian media coverage of ICE deployments to the northern Italian city of Milan drew criticism and prompted a petition over the weekend, amid increased scrutiny of the jurisdiction and enforcement powers wielded by U.S. immigration officials.
In recent weeks, ICE federal law enforcement officers have killed two Americans in Minneapolis, amid escalating protests demanding an end to large-scale immigration raids by the White House.
Several Americans living in Milan reacted in disbelief to the move by U.S. authorities and expressed concern about their country’s reputation on the world stage under President Donald Trump’s domestic and foreign policies. They spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“It’s very confusing. Why on earth would ICE agents come to Italy? They have no jurisdiction here,” one official said Tuesday.
