ICE Agents Will Deploy to Winter Olympics to Join U.S. Security Team, but Milan Mayor Says ‘Militia That Kills’ Isn’t Welcome

Milan’s mayor said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would not be welcomed in the city during the 2026 Winter Olympics, following a report that the agency plans to deploy personnel to support security for U.S. diplomats visiting for the Games.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday, Jan. 27 that ICE agents will have a security role alongside other U.S. agencies present at the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to “sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome.”

According to the report, the agents are expected to assist diplomatic security details rather than conduct immigration enforcement. The AP said multiple officials at the U.S. Embassy in Rome confirmed that characterization.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala pushed back on the reported plan during a local radio interview Tuesday morning, according to the AP and BBC.

“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips,” Sala said, according to the outlets. “It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”

He added, per BBC: “I believe [ICE agents] shouldn’t come to Italy because they don’t guarantee they conform to our democratic way of ensuring security.”

Other Italian officials appeared less alarmed. BBC reported that Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Pantedosi initially reacted to the report by saying, “I don’t see what the problem is and it’s very normal.”

But the BBC said the minister’s stance later grew more cautious amid public backlash tied to recent shootings involving ICE in Minneapolis.

“ICE will certainly not operate on Italian national territory,” Pantedosi later said.

The AP noted that deploying agents from multiple U.S. federal agencies to support diplomatic security during the Olympics is not unusual. The news service reported that past Games have included personnel from agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, including at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin Friday, Feb. 6.