A unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents is set to have a security role in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Italy, sparking protests and petitions against their deployment.
Sources at the U.S. embassy in Rome confirmed a statement from ICE—an agency involved in a harsh immigration crackdown in the United States—saying its federal agents would support diplomatic security details during the Milan-Cortina Games but would not carry out any enforcement operations.
The statement said: “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) 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. All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
Speculation in Italy about ICE’s involvement in the Games, which begin on February 6, had been growing for days and intensified on Monday after Attilio Fontana, president of the Lombardy region, said that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be protected by ICE “bodyguards” at the Olympics.
This speculation fueled outrage in Italy over ICE’s immigration operations, especially following the fatal shootings this month of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
The daily newspaper La Repubblica reported that Italy’s far-right government, which has fostered friendly relations with Donald Trump’s administration, briefly considered blocking ICE agents from participating in the delegation. However, doing so would have meant departing from standard procedures for protecting U.S. officials during similar high-profile visits abroad.
Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told RTL radio that the agents would not be welcome in the city “because they don’t guarantee they’re aligned with our democratic security management methods.”
“This is a militia that kills,” he said. “It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it. Can’t we just say no to Trump for once? We can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE.”
Alessandro Zan, a European Parliament member from the center-left Democratic Party, said the presence of ICE agents 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.
Two small opposition parties—the Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and Azione—have started petitions calling on the Italian government and the Olympics organizing committee to prevent ICE agents from entering the country or taking part in security operations. “ICE is the militia that shoots people on the streets of Minneapolis and takes children away from their families,” AVS stated.
The confirmation of ICE’s role follows RAI state TV airing video of ICE agents threatening to break the window of a vehicle its crew was using to report in Minneapolis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the controversy surrounding the ICE security role at the Winter Olympics framed in a natural tone
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is ICE and why are they involved in the Olympics
ICE is a private Italian security and logistics company They were hired by the Olympic organizing committee to provide security crowd control and logistical support at the 2026 MilanCortina Winter Games
2 Why are people in Italy outraged about this
People are outraged because several members of ICEs top management are under investigation for their alleged links to the Ndrangheta a powerful and violent mafia organization based in Calabria southern Italy There are fears that organized crime could infiltrate and profit from the massive Olympic contracts
3 What does A militia that kills refer to
This is a direct translation of a phrase used by an Italian prosecutor During a wiretap an alleged mobster reportedly referred to the Ndrangheta with these words The connection to ICE arises because the same prosecutor is investigating whether ICE was used as a screen or front for mafia interests
4 Has ICE been officially charged with a crime
No ICE as a company has not been formally charged However key figures within the company are under investigation for alleged external competition in a mafia association and other crimes This is a pretrial investigative phase
5 What has been the governments response
The Italian government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has defended the decision stating that ICE passed all necessary legal and financial checks required by law They argue that excluding a company based on investigations alone without a conviction would be unfair and illegal
Advanced Practical Questions
6 What specific allegations are the ICE managers facing
They are suspected of acting as a gobetween for the Ndrangheta to secure public contractsnot just for the Olympics but also for other major projects like the highspeed train line between Bologna and Florence The allegation is that they facilitated mafia influence over billioneuro public works
7 Couldnt this have been prevented with Italys antimafia laws
Italy has strict antimafia certification requirements for companies bidding on public contracts The core controversy is that
