U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are expected to be on the ground at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February, prompting a sharp backlash from left-leaning Italian officials even as Washington insists the agents will focus solely on security support.
According to the Daily Caller, sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome told the Associated Press that ICE personnel will assist diplomatic security teams but will not carry out immigration enforcement during the Feb. 622 event. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, speaking to RTL Radio 102, denounced their presence in incendiary terms, declaring, This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.
The mayors rhetoric appears to draw on progressive talking points imported from the American left, which has long sought to demonize ICE for simply enforcing U.S. immigration law. His remarks referenced tensions tied to ICE activity in Minneapolis, where federal law enforcement agents recently confronted anti-ICE protesters outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building during a January 15 demonstration.
Despite the political theatrics, the deployment itself is hardly unusual. Its not uncommon for federal agencies to provide security for U.S. diplomats at major international gatherings, and the embassy stressed to the BBC that all security operations remain under Italian authority.
ICE officials have emphasized that their mission in Italy is narrowly tailored to counter serious criminal threats, not to police migrants or interfere with Italian sovereignty. The agency explained its role at the games, stating, ICEs Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of States Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations, according to the BBC.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who has taken a firmer line on security and migration than many of his European counterparts, signaled that he sees little cause for alarm. In an interview with il Fatto Quotidiano, he remarked, Foreign delegations, within their own jurisdictions, choose who to turn to for security.
I dont see what the problem is. Security coordination remains the responsibility of national authorities, he added, underscoring that Italy remains firmly in charge of operations on its soil. With Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio slated to attend the opening ceremony, Washington appears intent on ensuring robust protection for its delegation, even as progressive critics at home and abroad continue to vilify the very agencies tasked with keeping Americans safe.
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