Giuseppe Sala, Milan Mayor, on ICE at the 2026 Winter Olympics: “It is clear they are not welcome”

Giuseppe Sala, Milan’s mayor, has publicly rejected the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, saying they are “not welcome” in his city.

The dispute began after reports that ICE agents would be part of the security arrangements for the Games, scheduled to run from February 6 to 22. Once again, it appears that Trump thinks the world really is his playground.

Italy and the United States have a long history of cooperation on law enforcement. Yet the prospect of the hugely unpopular ICE personnel being deployed in Milan triggered an immediate political reaction, and one can only stop and wonder why. Perhaps the multiple cold-blood killings have something to do with the less-than-welcome reception.

Sala described ICE as “a militia that kills” and argued their methods conflict with Italian democratic norms.

Why are ICE at the Winter Olympics in Italy?

What a great question, dear reader. The planned role for ICE, according to sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, is thankfully limited and specific. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations are expected to support security efforts around the U.S. diplomatic delegation and assess potential transnational criminal threats.

They will be stationed at a control room at the U.S. Consulate in Milan and are not permitted to conduct immigration enforcement or operate outside that narrow remit on Italian soil. Both U.S. and Italian authorities have emphasised that the overall security of the Olympics will remain under Italian control. How long before Bovino starts talking about his imaginary Nonna’s home-cooking and how he supports the Azzuri when it comes to sports.

Back to Sala. Speaking to RTL Radio 102, he said that ICE is “a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.” No room for misinterpretation there. Although that doesn’t appear to have stopped them in Minnesota.

“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries‚″ the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday. If only Trump’s policies were as isolationist, like he promised. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. All security operations remain under Italian authority.”

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