U.S. ICE Agents to Assist With Security at Italy’s Winter Olympics

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1443 EAT on Tuesday 27 January 2026

Agents from the United States’ controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency will help support U.S. security operations during the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, a spokesperson told AFP.

In a statement, ICE said its Homeland Security Investigations unit would work alongside the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities to assess and mitigate threats posed by transnational criminal organisations.

“All security operations remain under Italian authority,” officials said.
They added: “ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”

Reports that agents from the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be present at the February 6-22 Milano-Cortina Winter Games have sparked significant debate in Italy, in part because of public outrage in the United States over the deaths of two civilians during recent federal enforcement actions in Minneapolis.

Italian authorities initially denied that ICE would be involved, then sought to downplay its role, saying any support would be limited to security for the U.S. delegation. However, there is no signed cooperation agreement yet confirming that ICE agents will operate at the Games, and Italian police have reiterated that all public order duties remain the responsibility of Italy’s Ministry of the Interior.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6. Lombardy’s regional president said ICE’s involvement, if it occurs, would be restricted to protecting the U.S. dignitaries.

His office later clarified that he had no confirmed information on ICE’s presence and was responding to a hypothetical question, underscoring ongoing uncertainty about the agency’s role at the Games.

Credit: Aljazeera

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