DHS says ICE agents will accompany U.S. Winter Olympics delegation, drawing Italian outcry

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will accompany the American delegation to the Winter Olympics in northern Italy next month, prompting a backlash and a request for clarification from the Italian government. D.H.S. said in a statement attributed to Tricia McLaughlin that ICE agents would be part of a security team to “vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” and added that “all security operations remain under Italian authority” and that ICE “does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.” The State Department said multiple federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, would support the Diplomatic Security Service.

The announcement has provoked outrage in Italy, especially after the killing by ICE and Border Patrol agents of two American citizens during recent protests in Minneapolis. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said ICE agents would not be allowed to deploy on Italian streets.

Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, said the government should “say no to Trump,” and Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left Democratic Party, expressed concern about “an armed militia that is not respecting the law on American soil.” Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, called the matter “a controversy over nothing,” saying the U.S.

Key Topics

World, Ice, Winter Olympics, Italy, Milan, Antonio Tajani