Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi says ICE personnel assigned to the Milano Cortina Olympics will not conduct policing on Italian streets and that only Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents will operate from U.S. diplomatic missions. He described recent political concerns as "completely unfounded" and noted the deployment stems from a bilateral 2014 agreement. Opposition parties and a hard-left union have announced protests, while Italy will deploy some 6,000 police officers to secure the Feb. 6-22 Games.
Milano Cortina Olympics: Italy Says ICE Will Not Police Streets; HSI Agents Confined To U.S. Missions
Protesters attend a demonstration after it was confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel will help protect U.S. delegations at the Milan‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
ROME, Feb. 4 — Italy's interior minister said on Tuesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel assigned to the Milano Cortina Olympics will not carry out policing on Italian streets, calling political objections to their presence "completely unfounded."
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told parliament that only agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) branch will be deployed to Milan and that they will operate exclusively from U.S. diplomatic missions. He insisted that there will be no visible law-enforcement activity by ICE on Italian territory comparable to recent U.S. media reports.
"We will not see anything on national territory that resembles what has been seen in the media in the United States," Piantedosi said, adding: "The concern that inspired the controversy of recent days is therefore completely unfounded."
Fierce Criticism Of ICE Presence
Reports that U.S. immigration agents would be present during the Feb. 6-22 Games provoked strong reactions in Italy amid wider criticism of ICE and U.S. Border Patrol over enforcement tied to former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Lawmakers from centre-left opposition parties sharply condemned the planned presence, particularly after the shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who were reportedly observing or protesting ICE activity.
Piantedosi said the deployment of HSI personnel is based on a bilateral agreement that Italy ratified in 2014 when a centre-left government was in office. He argued that the presence of HSI agents is not a unilateral infringement of sovereignty but the implementation of a binding international accord consistent with Italy's Constitution and parliamentary prerogatives.
"The presence of personnel linked to the ICE agency is not a sudden or unilateral attempt to restrict our national sovereignty," Piantedosi said. "It is the implementation of a binding international agreement, fully compliant with our Constitution and parliamentary prerogatives."
A hard-left trade union has announced an "ICE OUT" protest planned for the Feb. 6 opening ceremony. In response, Piantedosi outlined a large Italian security operation for the Games, which are staged across northern regions, saying authorities will deploy some 6,000 police officers, including bomb squads, canine anti-sabotage teams, alpine units and counter-terrorism specialists.
"We will not deviate one centimetre from the course we have taken to ensure safety and public order at this major event, which will further strengthen Italy's international credibility," the minister said.
Senior U.S. officials, including the Vice President and the Secretary of State, are reported to be among those expected to attend the opening ceremony.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Edited by David Holmes)
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