U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel will be deployed to assist protection of U.S. delegations at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, a U.S. embassy source said, confirming earlier reports in the Italian media and triggering political backlash in Italy.
The embassy source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the deployment will involve ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division providing backup to the U.S. State Department’s security service during the Milano Cortina Games, scheduled for February 6-22.
The source emphasised that HSI agents will not conduct immigration enforcement activities while present in Italy. Instead, their stated task is to help "mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations," the source said, but did not provide further specifics about how that work would be carried out.
"All security operations remain under Italian authority," the embassy source added, indicating that overall command and control of security at the Games will be retained by Italian law enforcement and security services.
ICE spokespeople did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the planned deployment.
HSI has previously participated in security-related activities at major sporting events both in the United States and overseas, according to a former official. The former official noted that HSI work at such events has been part of international partnerships aimed at combating human trafficking and drug trafficking, citing past Super Bowl and Olympic Games engagements abroad.
While the HSI mandate focuses on transnational crime, the former official observed that many HSI agents in the United States have also been detailed to support routine immigration enforcement operations.
The U.S. embassy source also said HSI had a presence at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
News of HSI involvement has prompted criticism from some Italian political figures. Maurizio Lupi, leader of the Noi Moderati party within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing governing coalition and an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, told la Repubblica daily: "It seems sheer idiocy to me," while acknowledging that Italian law enforcement agencies may need to coordinate with foreign counterparts.
Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, one of the cities co-hosting the Games, spoke to RTL 102.5 radio and labelled ICE "a militia that kills," adding: "It’s clear that they’re not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it."
The centrist Italia Viva party, led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, called for ICE agents to be barred from Italy. On the social platform X, the party wrote: "ICE, Trump’s anti‑immigration militia, is a symbol of violence, repression, abuse and human-rights violations. Accepting their presence in Italy is madness."
In addition, the hard-left USB trade union announced plans for a demonstration timed with the opening ceremony. The union said it will hold an "ICE OUT - From Minneapolis to Milan" rally in central Milan on February 6.
The planned HSI support comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE and Border Patrol in the United States. The agencies have faced criticism over enforcement practices under President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, a debate intensified this month after two U.S. citizens were shot dead in separate incidents in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
For the duration of the Games the embassy source indicated that HSI’s role would be limited to non-immigration enforcement activities and that coordination with Italian authorities would govern all security operations.