Controversy has erupted in Italy over the deployment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide security at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina. The US embassy in Rome confirmed that federal agents would support diplomatic security details during the event, but would not conduct enforcement operations. The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from Italian politicians and human rights advocates, who denounce ICE's record on immigration enforcement.
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, adding that Italy could manage security itself. 'Can't we just say no to Trump for once?' he asked, emphasising that ICE's methods were not aligned with democratic security management.
Alessandro Zan, a member of the European Parliament for the centre-left Democratic party, called the presence of ICE agents unacceptable, accusing them of trampling on human rights. The Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and Azione party have started petitions urging the government and Olympic organisers to block the agents' entry, with AVS stating, 'ICE is the militia that shoots people on the streets of Minneapolis and takes children away from their families.'
Italy's interior ministry issued a statement clarifying that only ICE's investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations, would be involved, not the agency's operational arm. The ministry noted that such experts are present in more than 50 countries, including Italy for years, and do not perform immigration controls abroad. During the Games, the US will set up an operations room at its consulate in Milan, where HSI experts will support liaison and management of major events.
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani sought to play down the controversy, saying, 'It's not like the SS are coming,' referring to the Nazi paramilitary organisation. He stressed that ICE agents would collaborate in operations rooms, not maintain public order on the streets. The confirmation of ICE's role came amid ongoing outrage over the agency's immigration crackdown, including recent fatal shootings in Minneapolis and a video aired by RAI state TV showing ICE agents threatening to break a vehicle window used by journalists.
