ICE agents will arrive in Italy for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Now it’s official. And no, they will not have public order tasks, they will not patrol the streets, but they will work in coordination with the Italian police forces and will take care of “exclusively for risk analysis tasks and information exchange with the Italian Police Force, without being operational”.
At least that’s according to the note from the Interior Ministry. And in light of this, therefore, for the Winter Olympic Games, there will be as many as 6 thousand men in the field including police, carabinieri, finance and army, while ICE will be present with its investigative component, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
This is the official version provided by Piantedosi after days of ambiguity, denials and half-admissions. First the news was downplayed, then effectively confirmed after the Interior Minister’s meeting with the American ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta. From there came the reassurance: no “operational” ICE agents, those involved in the repression of immigration in the United States, but only officials specialized in investigations.
Too bad ICE isn’t an agency like any other. In recent years, and especially in recent days, it has become one of the symbols of the most aggressive and controversial immigration policies, including human rights violations, house raids, arbitrary arrests, family separations and excessive use of force. This is why its presence in Italy, even if “limited” and “technical”, does not go unnoticed at all.
Antonio Tajani tried to play down the drama with an unfortunate phrase: “It’s not like the SS are coming.” A joke that sparked controversy even more, because the point is not the historical comparison, but the political legitimation of an agency which, for millions of people, is representing institutional violence and repression.
And in fact the issue has reached Parliament. On 4 February Piantedosi will report to the Chamber with an urgent information.
The petition against ICE in Italy
Recently launched by Azione Milano, in a few days the petition on Change has exceeded 20 thousand signatures. The message is clear: the presence of the ICE risks compromising the universal values that the Olympic event should embody.
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are an event of global importance, destined to unite nations and cultures through sport and the celebration of human excellence in its purest form. However, the participation of agencies such as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose activities are often contested in terms of human rights abuses and controversial practices, risks diverting attention from the essence of this universal sporting event.
It is not just a question of security, but of ethical and political coherence. Accepting ICE means normalizing a model based on the criminalization of migrants and the logic of permanent emergency.
Even the mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, took a very harsh position:
This is a militia that kills. Enter people’s homes. They are not welcome in Milan. They are not aligned with our democratic way of ensuring security.
The government insists that there will be no “ceded sovereignty” and that ICE will not operate on Italian territory. But the symbolic and cultural problem remains, don’t you think?
HERE is the petition.
