itstargetnews
With less than one more week until the start of 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, the topic that makes headlines is not sports. This is security. For several days, the Italian government, the city of Milan, embassies, and consulates have been trying to respond to public outcry after reports of the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Games while the agency was seeding. DISPUTE, VIOLENCEand death in the US.
Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security The New York Times confirmed that ICE will accompany a US delegation to the Games. They, according to a statement attributed to DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, will work with a team of the Department of State “to assess and mitigate the risks from transnational criminal organizations” and not to conduct immigration enforcement.
US officials have admitted that such security measures are common for the Games and stressed that Italy will be in charge of security. However, after the recent shooting death of Alex Pretty and Renee Nicole Good at the hands of US immigration agents, Italians resent the presence of ICE. The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, told a local radio station that the agents “not welcome” in the city.
Other Italian officials are not so clear. Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, MANILA he knew nothing about ICE’s presence in Milan but emphasized that he saw nothing wrong with it. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a frequent ally of Trump, has so far remained silent.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in Milan’s Piazza XXV Aprile to protest the presence of ICE at the Games, carrying signs that read “There is no ICE in Milano” and “ICE Out Now.”
ICE will not work with Italian law enforcement, which has pledged to have more than 6,000 personnel at the events, but will instead work to protect the US contingent, which includes Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Alternatively, they may be suit-and-tie ICE operatives, not agents masks and military gear.
ICE is not Italy’s only controversial security force for the Olympics. On January 27, a cargo plane with more than a hundred Qatari public security officers, 20 camouflage SUVs, and three snowmobiles. landed at Malpensa Airport in Milan. After their arrival, the SUVs headed to the center of the city, passing through Piazza Duomo and San Siro, where the opening ceremony will be held on Friday.
