The mayor of Milan, Italy, has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “not welcome” at the Winter Olympics early next month after reports confirmed the U.S. agency will provide extra security at the games.
Upon learning the news, Mayor Giuseppe Sala criticized ICE over its role in two fatal shootings in Minnesota this month.
“This is a militia that kills,” he said in an Italian radio interview. “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?”
The ICE-linked security team will support diplomatic security details in Milan without carrying out any immigration enforcement operations, according to the Associated Press. ICE confirmed its participation in the security detail.
“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”
McLaughlin stressed that “all security operations remain under Italian authority.”
When the Washington Examiner asked whether ICE’s investigative component has provided security during past Olympics, DHS did not provide a direct response.
Reports indicate several federal agencies, including ICE’s HSI, have supported security at previous Olympics and other major international events. It’s not uncommon for a DHS agency to do so, considering HSI operates extensively around the world.
It’s unclear how many ICE officers will be deployed to the Winter Olympics, scheduled from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.
Vice President JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to attend the sporting event’s opening ceremony on Feb. 6. There is no indication that President Donald Trump will be in attendance.
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Italy’s Interior Ministry said the United States has not confirmed the makeup of its security detail but noted that it doesn’t appear ICE “will act as an escort to the American delegation,” made up of the three White House officials at this time.
Meanwhile, ICE has been met with widespread opposition to its immigration actions in Minneapolis from residents and state politicians. The heated situation has led to two separate officer-involved shootings, one of which killed Renee Good earlier this month and the other claimed the life of Alex Pretti over the weekend. Their deaths have motivated anti-ICE protesters to continue resisting federal law enforcement.
