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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents volition person a information relation during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to accusation shared with section media by sources astatine the U.S. Embassy successful Rome. The Associated Press independently confirmed the accusation with 2 officials astatine the Embassy.
The officials who confirmed ICE information connected Tuesday said that national ICE agents would enactment diplomatic information details and would not tally immoderate migration enforcement operations.
During erstwhile Olympics, respective national agencies person supported information for U.S. diplomats, including the investigative constituent of ICE called Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the sources said. They could not beryllium named due to the fact that they are not authorised to talk publicly.
HSI has a planetary footprint, and it's communal for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to supply information enactment astatine large planetary events.
The State Department's Diplomatic Security Service does this arsenic well, routinely supporting events similar the Olympics. The usage of US instrumentality enforcement agencies successful these contexts isn't unusual. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Transportation Security Administration deployed officers to assistance with airdrome screening owed to the surge successful visitors and the imaginable menace of attacks.
Citing images of masked ICE agents that person dominated sum of unrest successful Minneapolis, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said that ICE would not beryllium invited successful his city, which is hosting astir crystal sports during the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games.
"This is simply a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their ain support slips. It is wide they are not invited successful Milan, without a doubt,'' Mr. Sala told RTL Radio 102 earlier ICE's deployment to the Games was confirmed.
ICE's relation had been reported implicit the play by the Italian regular Il Fatto Quotidiano, prompting conflicting statements from Italian authorities who did not privation to look to corroborate the agency's role.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Saturday helium had not received confirmation of ICE's deployment, but added that "I don't spot what the occupation would be,'' the quality bureau ANSA reported.
The Interior Ministry connected Tuesday (January 27, 2026) repeated that the US has not confirmed the constitution of its information item but insisted that “at the infinitesimal determination are nary indications that ICE USA volition enactment arsenic an escort to the American delegation." U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance volition pb a delegation attending the February 6 opening ceremony. The delegation volition besides see 2nd woman Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the White House announced earlier this month.
The confirmation of ICE's relation successful Olympic information comes aft RAI authorities TV aired video Sunday (January 25, 2026) of ICE agents threatening to interruption the solid connected the conveyance of a RAI crew reporting successful Minneapolis, wherever ICE operations person sparked wide demonstrations. In the past 3 weeks, national officers successful Minneapolis person changeable and killed 2 protesters against deportations and migration enforcement.
