In response to outrage over the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens during federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, the Trump administration has signaled it may maintain or even broaden ICE’s operational role, even beyond U.S. borders.
Fresh controversy has erupted after reports revealed that the U.S. plans for ICE agents to assist with security at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.
Highlights
- The Trump administration plans to have ICE agents assist with security at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, sparking fresh controversy.
- Italian officials gave conflicting statements about ICE's presence, with some denying and others confirming a limited security role.
- Thousands signed petitions urging Italy to ban ICE agents from the Olympics, citing human rights and recent shootings by ICE in the U.S.
- U.S. Homeland Security confirmed ICE's role is limited to vetting risks from transnational criminal groups, with all operations under Italian authority.
The issue surfaced after Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that ICE agents would support security operations during the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, scheduled to run from February 6 to March 15.
ICE will reportedly assist with U.S. security at the Winter Olympics in Italy
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Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi initially said authorities were unaware of any ICE involvement. He suggested that even if U.S. officials chose to bring their own security, such arrangements would be normal for visiting delegations.
“We are not aware of that at this stage,” Piantedosi told reporters Sunday.
Other Italian officials then appeared to confirm a limited role for ICE before backtracking.
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On Monday, Attilio Fontana, president of the region of Lombardy where Milan is located, confirmed that ICE would be part of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team.
“It’s a whole other issue that doesn’t concern our country,” Fontana said, insisting that ICE’s role would be limited to protecting Vance and Rubio. “I’m convinced nothing will happen,” he said.
The region of Lombardy released a statement soon after, clarifying that Fontana had not confirmed ICE’s presence and was only speaking hypothetically.
“President Fontana made only a hypothetical comment in response to a statement by journalists that, if security agents were present, their role would be limited to the protection of any American personalities present,” the statement, translated from Italian, said.
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“Any other interpretation that attributes to President Fontana a confirmation of the presence of ICE agents at Milan Cortina 2026 does not correspond to what was declared,” the statement said.
“To date, no collaboration agreements have been signed for the Olympics,” Interior Ministry sources also declared to La Repubblica.
The statement comes as thousands of people have signed a petition on Change.org demanding that ICE agents be denied entry to the Olympics.
“Italy, as the host nation, has the opportunity to send a clear message to the world, underscoring its commitment to human rights and social justice. Denying access to ICE operators except in an individual and tourist capacity will be a significant step in this direction,” the petition explains.
Despite denials from Italian officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed ICE’s participation.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed ICE’s participation despite the controversy
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In a statement, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries. 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.”
She added, “All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
Anger over the reported deployment ties directly to recent events in the U.S., where ICE and Border Patrol agents have faced widespread criticism following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse for American veterans.
The deaths have triggered protests and intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement practices, which the Trump administration has continued to defend despite contradictory evidence.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Italian political leaders referenced those incidents while condemning ICE’s potential presence. Democratic Party Senator Francesco Boccia told La Repubblica that the idea of ICE agents being in Italy was “disturbing.”
Other members of Parliament described ICE as a lawless militia.
“ICE is an unprepared, violent, and out-of-control militia,” Italian Senator Carlo Calenda wrote on Facebook. “It must not set foot in Italy.”
Even the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala said ICE was “not welcome” in his city, which will be hosting several Olympic events. “This is a militia that kills ... It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it,” Sala told RTL 102.5 radio.
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“Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?” he added.
Sala’s statement echoes that of many American mayors who don’t want ICE in their cities. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has previously told agents to “get the f**k out of Minneapolis.”
“They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and, in this case, quite literally killing people. So they are already trying to spin this as an action of self defense,” Frey said. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”
Italian MP Nicola Fratoianni called ICE agents “thugs,” and demanded they be denied entry to Italy.
“We cannot allow heavily armed murderers, who have also threatened Italian journalists, to act as law enforcement on Italian soil, without knowing how and where they should operate, with what powers or jurisdiction,” Fratoianni said in a statement.
ICE agents reportedly threatened an Italian journalist who was working with state broadcaster RAI on a segment in Minneapolis on Sunday.