Outrage in Italy over the presence of ICE agents during the Milan Olympics

RomeItaly is preparing for the Winter Olympics, to be held from February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezo, and many international delegations have already arrived in the country. Milan is being fortified to ensure maximum security for the athletes in the coming weeks. But what no one expected is that, along with the extensive police deployment surrounding both cities, there will also be members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), just as these agents are under scrutiny for recent raids against immigrants and the violence of their operations. have cost the lives of two US citizensRenee Good and Alex Pretti, on the streets of Minneapolis.

The news was first reported by an Italian media outlet over the weekend and confirmed by the president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, host of the sporting event. Later, several members of the Italian government denied it. But it has finally been officially announced by the United States Embassy in Rome.

The Italian government's clumsy communication has forced the intervention of the United States Department of Homeland Security, which has clarified that the presence of ICE agents at the Winter Olympics is part of a joint operation to mitigate risks from transnational organizations and will not lead them to act on Italian soil. The Italian Interior Ministry has clarified that US participation will be limited to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), "the investigative arm of ICE": "It must be reiterated that HSI investigators will not be represented by operational personnel like those involved in immigration enforcement, but rather by personnel dedicated to immigration enforcement." HSI analysts "will work exclusively within their diplomatic premises and not on the ground," and for this purpose, the US will set up an operations room at its consulate in Milan. The government issued the statement following a meeting on Tuesday between Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and US Ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta to "clarify" the participation of ICE agents during the Winter Olympics. It was the Interior Minister himself who, the day before, had categorically denied any alleged operational deployment of the US agency. "Order within the national territory is guaranteed by the Italian state," he concluded, before having to backtrack.

Opposition criticism

"Let's be clear: They're not coming to maintain public order on the streets. They're coming to collaborate in the operations rooms," summarized Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. But far from easing tensions, the explanations have ignited outrage among citizens and the opposition, which has submitted a parliamentary question and accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of being too accommodating to US President Donald Trump. The Italian leader is probably his main ally in Europe, and has even gone so far as to predict the Nobel Peace Prize for the US president if he manages to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. "ICE agents shouldn't be coming to Italy because they don't align with our democratic way of ensuring security. This is a militia that kills," denounced the mayor of Milan, the progressive Beppe Sala. "Can we just say no to Trump for once?" he asked. The left-wing party Más Europa has called for a protest this Thursday in front of the US Embassy in Rome, while next Saturday various opposition parties and organizations such as the National Association of Italian Partisans will gather in Milan to protest against the presence in Italy of "an armed militia that killed in cold blood," said Democratic Party member Elly Schlein. "ICE agents are not welcome in Italy," she asserted.