Three U.S. ice sports teams renamed their hospitality hub at the Winter Olympics from the “Ice House” to the “Winter House” due to growing pushback over Immigration and Customs Enforcement‘s presence at the international sports event in Milan, Italy.
U.S. figure skating, hockey, and speedskating announced the name change in a joint statement published by USA Today on Sunday.
“Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private space free of distractions where athletes, their families, and friends can come together to celebrate the unique experience of the Winter Games,” the three teams said. “This name captures that vision and connects to the season and the event.”
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Milan to protest ICE. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said ICE officers are “not welcome” in his city. Other Italian leaders have publicly opposed the U.S. deployment, while an official in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government suggested that people are overreacting.
“It’s not like the SS are coming,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
ICE is sending Homeland Security Investigations personnel to provide additional security at this year’s Winter Olympics without conducting any immigration enforcement operations.
“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said last week. “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. All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
The increased security is designed to protect Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other members of the U.S. presidential delegation attending the Feb. 6 opening ceremony.
ICE’s HSI has 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.
Nonetheless, protesters in Milan are outraged over the recent ICE-involved fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota last month. Renaming the “Ice House” is seen as a way to appease the anti-ICE protesters.
MILAN MAYOR SAYS ICE SECURITY IS ‘NOT WELCOME’ AT WINTER OLYMPICS
Announced by Team USA in September, the “Ice House” is a private hospitality venue for athletes, media, and others that also serves as a venue for nightly parties and sponsored events.
In response to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner about the “Winter House” and intensifying protests in Milan, DHS provided the same statement from McLaughlin.
