Thread: Italians protest ICE’s presence at 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan

Italians protest ICE’s presence at 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan

by Ashleigh Fields - 02/01/26 9:43 AM ET
Hundreds of Italians took to the street to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence in the country ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

ICE officers are expected to help with security at this month’s Milano Cortina Winter Games, which has sparked harsh backlash from residents and officials.

On Saturday, protesters gathered at the historic Piazza XXV Aprile, a square that pays homage to the end of Nazi control in Italy 80 years ago. Some demonstrators, however, said current conditions in the U.S. remind them of the fascism present in 1945 and the Gestapo.

“I don’t like what’s happening with ICE. I don’t want that to come here to Italy,” demonstrator Francesco Tattoni told NPR.
“We believe they are doing the same thing the fascists were doing in the 1930s and 1940s,” he added.

Italy’s Democratic party helped organize the large-scale protest and introduced legislation to ensure ICE would be strictly limited to security operations at the Olympic Games in Milan.
“It’s not just for the Olympic Games, it’s about justice in the world. We don’t want here ICE,” said Alessandro Capella, head of the Italian Democratic Party’s Milan chapter, per NPR.

U.S. immigration officials were granted a security role at the sporting event and said they would not conduct enforcement measures overseas.

“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” the DHS wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”
Still, the mayor of Milan and other foreign officials have protested the presence of ICE following the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this month.
“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips,” Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said during an interview with RTL Radio 102, according to The Associated Press. “It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”

Italian protesters gather against ICE ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics

Italians Have Hissy Fit Over ICE Being At The Olympics

By William Teach February 2, 2026 – 10:30 am

You know, there’s something missing from this The Hill article. They got close to the reality

Italians protest ICE’s presence at 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan
Hundreds of Italians took to the street to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence in the country ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
ICE officers are expected to help with security at this month’s Milano Cortina Winter Games, which has sparked harsh backlash from residents and officials.
On Saturday, protesters gathered at the historic Piazza XXV Aprile, a square that pays homage to the end of Nazi control in Italy 80 years ago. Some demonstrators, however, said current conditions in the U.S. remind them of the fascism present in 1945 and the Gestapo.
“I don’t like what’s happening with ICE. I don’t want that to come here to Italy,” demonstrator Francesco Tattoni told NPR.

Hundreds. What’s the population of Italy?

“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” the DHS wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”

Go back to that “expected to help” link

Homeland Security Investigations, a unit within ICE that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. HSI officers are separate from the ICE arm at the forefront of the immigration crackdown known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there was no indication ERO officers were being sent to Italy. (big snip)
Another arm of ICE is Homeland Security Investigations. Agents from HSI conduct investigations into anything that has a cross-border nexus from human smuggling to fentanyl trafficking to smuggling of cultural artifacts. Agents from HSI are stationed in embassies around the world to facilitate their investigations and build relations with local law enforcement in those countries.

That unit typically goes to things like the Olympics due to the large amount of human trafficking that occurs, because these types of gatherings attract the people who smuggle people and drugs. This year is nothing new. Other nations send law enforcement agents to do the same. The US has considerably more resources to do something about trafficking then others, though.

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