U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will provide security during the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in Italy, according to multiple reports.
ICE and the U.S. Embassy in Rome confirmed to The Associated Press and France’s AFP that ICE personnel will be visiting Italy for the upcoming Winter Olympics, which run from Feb. 6 to 22, to support diplomatic security details.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is assisting the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation in vetting and mitigating risks posed by transnational criminal organizations,” ICE said in a statement, according to AFP.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority,” the statement continued, noting that “ICE clearly does not carry out immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
News broke in Italy over the weekend that ICE agents would be participating in the Winter Olympics, with Italian authorities saying they were either unaware of the incident or denying it outright.
The recent killings of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Preti on the streets of Minneapolis have sparked intense debate over the possible presence of ICE agents in Italy. On Tuesday, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said ICE officers were “not welcome.”
“This is a paramilitary group that kills people… It is clear that they are not welcome in Milan. There is no doubt about it. How can we say no to Trump for once?” the mayor said in an interview on Italy’s RTL 102.5 radio.
The opening ceremony, to be held in Milan on February 6th, will be attended by US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
