U.S. Homeland Security officials say agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division will support the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service during the Feb. 6–22 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, emphasizing the agents will not conduct immigration enforcement in Italy and that overall security remains under Italian authority.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not carry out immigration enforcement operations in Italy during the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, after public criticism in Italy over reports that ICE personnel would be present.
In a post on X, DHS said ICE “does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.” The department said ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division will support the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities by helping “vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” adding that “all security operations remain under Italian authority.”
The clarification came as Italian politicians and activists protested any ICE presence at the Games, which run Feb. 6–22. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala told RTL Radio 102 that ICE would not be welcome in the city, calling the agency “a militia that kills” and saying it was “not welcome in Milan,” according to the Associated Press.
An activist group, Azione Milano, has also launched a petition calling for ICE agents to be barred from the Olympics, media reports said.
According to reporting by the Associated Press and other outlets, the U.S. personnel expected to be involved are from HSI, ICE’s investigative branch that operates internationally and is often assigned to work with foreign law enforcement and U.S. diplomatic security teams. U.S. officials told the AP that HSI has supported security for U.S. diplomats during past Olympics.
Separately, the White House has said Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, accompanied by second lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta, and a group of former Olympic champions.
