The Minister of the Interior of Italy, Matteo Piantedosi, assured this Wednesday that the members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) who are present in Milan for the Winter Olympic Games They will not be operational in the field and will be limited to analysis tasks.
Raid-Free Winter Games
“We will not see anything on national territory that corresponds to what has been seen in the American media. During the Milan-Cortina Games, members of this agency They will be dedicated exclusively to the analysis and exchange of information with the Italian authorities. After all, this is what they have been doing for years in more than 50 countries, including Italy, without anyone ever being scandalized,” Piantedosi explained during his appearance before the Chamber of Deputies.
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Likewise, he stressed that ICE cannot nor will it ever be able to carry out operational police activities in “our national territory.”
Regarding the security plans planned for the edition of the Winter Olympic Games, he explained that the deployment is expected in the six provinces involved in the Games, as well as in Venice and Varese, of six thousand police reinforcements, divided by employment sectors, among which are specialists from anti-bomb squads, anti-sabotage canine units, snipers, skiers, ropers, specialized anti-terrorist units.
On the other hand, the presence of ICE agents has provoked criticism from the Italian opposition and various associations that They have called a demonstration in Milan.
They dialogue and reach an agreement
After the protests, the Italian government held a meeting with the US ambassador in Rome, Tilman J. Fertitta, and clarified that only analysts from the investigative arm of ICE and not its operational arm will arrive and that the members will work exclusively inside their diplomatic headquarters and not on Italian territory.
Finally, the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 6 to 22, and the two main host venues are Milan, the Italian capital of style, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the Queen of the Dolomites.
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