Vice President JD Vance drew boos at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6, as he appeared on the Jumbotron at San Siro Stadium alongside second lady Usha Vance.
Spectators responded with whistles and jeers when the pair was shown on the big screen. Moments later, the atmosphere shifted when Team U.S.A. appeared, prompting applause from the crowd.
Vance, 41, attended the ceremony with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Tilman Fertitta, the U.S. ambassador to Italy. The group is representing the United States at the international games on behalf of President Donald Trump.
The reaction comes as political tensions in the U.S. remain high and as the Trump administration’s immigration policies continue to draw attention overseas.
A week before the Olympics, “sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome” said that ICE agents would have a security role alongside other U.S. agencies present at the games, the Associated Press reported.
But on Jan. 27, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the ICE officers “are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,” according to the BBC. Days later, on Jan. 31, hundreds of protesters demanded that ICE agents leave Italy. Demonstrations continued on Friday, Feb. 6, ahead of the opening ceremony.
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Chief of Security and Athlete Services for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Nicole Deal said on Thursday, Feb 5: “I can tell you unequivocally that there are no ICE agents that are part of the Team USA delegation on the ground here in Milan,” the Independent reported.
Sending agents from various federal agencies to bolster security for diplomats at major international events is not unusual, according to the AP. The news service noted that the U.S. previously sent agents from the Transportation Security Administration to the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The international protests follow the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti, a local Minneapolis ICU nurse, and Renee Good, a mother of three, in Minneapolis.
Amid the ongoing political tension, Vance has reiterated that he was “proud” of how the Trump administration was conducting the ongoing immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
