ICE agents will reportedly be used as security officers during next month’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, but the Italian city’s mayor said the “militia” group is not welcome as the agency is under fire for the killing of two people in Minneapolis.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “would support diplomatic security details and would not run any immigration enforcement operations” at the Olympics, according to the Associated Press.
- ICE said in a statement to AFP security operations for the Olympics would “remain under Italian authority.”
- Its officers will be used as security for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will attend the opening ceremonies to lead the American delegation.
- The AP reports security at the Olympics has previously come through ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations agency, which “investigates crime on a global scale.”
- Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala rejected ICE’s presence, referring to the U.S. agency as a “militia that kills” in an interview with RTL Radio, saying they are a “militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”
“Can we say no to Trump, just this once? ICE Officers shouldn’t come to Italy because they are not aligned with our democratic way of managing security,” Sala told the radio station. ICE’s inclusion at the Olympics is also not welcomed by Alessandro Zan, a left-wing member of the European parliament, who said in a post on X, “In Italy, we don’t want those who trample human rights and act outside any democratic control. It’s unacceptable to think that an agency of this kind could have a role, whatever it may be, in our country.”
Key Background
Backlash against ICE continues to grow following last weekend’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis. He is the second person this month to have been killed by a federal agent in the city, following Renee Good’s Jan. 7 death.
It has led to growing calls for ICE to be removed from the city, with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino set to leave Minnesota and no longer oversee the federal agency’s operations in the state. President Donald Trump said Monday he had “good” discussions with both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, writing in a post on X: “Lots of progress is being made” about the unrest in the state.
Look back on the week that was with hand-picked articles from Australia and around the world. Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here or become a member here.
