A unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will have a security role at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, prompting uproar and petitions in Italy. Sources at the US embassy in Rome confirmed that federal agents would support diplomatic security details during the Games, but would not run enforcement operations.
The statement said ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was supporting the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations. Speculation had mounted after the president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, said US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be protected by ICE bodyguards at the Olympics.
The deployment has caused particular anger given ICE's immigration operations, especially after the fatal shootings this month of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Milan's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told RTL radio that the agents were not welcome in the city. “This is a militia that kills,” he said. “Can’t we just say no to Trump for once? We can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE.”
Two small opposition parties, the Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and Azione, have started petitions calling on the Italian government and the Olympic organising committee to prevent the ICE agents' entry and involvement. Alessandro Zan, a centre-left member of the European parliament, said their presence would be unacceptable. “In Italy, we don’t want those who trample on human rights and act outside of any democratic control,” he wrote on X.
Italy's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, sought to play down concerns. “It’s not like the SS are coming,” he said, referring to the Nazi paramilitary organisation. “They’re not coming to maintain public order in the middle of the streets. They’re coming to collaborate in the operations rooms.” The interior ministry later said the US would set up its own operations room at its consulate in Milan, where HSI experts would support the management of major events and liaise with officers, but would not be operational personnel.
