Milan mayor blasts ICE as ‘militia that kills’ before Winter Olympics role

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Kevin HandJanuary 27, 2026 at 01:00 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has publicly criticized the involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in security operations for the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, calling the agency unwelcome. The controversy stems from ICE's role in supporting the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities in vetting and mitigating risks from transnational criminal organizations during the Games, which begin on February 6th. Sala's strong opposition is rooted in ICE's controversial reputation for immigration enforcement in the U.S. ICE maintains that its operations in Italy will be separate from domestic immigration crackdowns and under Italian authority. The U.S. embassy in Rome confirmed that ICE agents would support diplomatic security but not conduct immigration enforcement.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

JD Vance 40% US Department of State 50% Donald Trump ×260% Italy ×260% United States ×470% Milan ×270% Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ×370% Winter Olympics ×280% Giuseppe Sala ×290% Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ×7100%

Keywords

ice 90% winter olympics 90% immigration and customs enforcement 80% security operations 70% immigration crackdown 60% us security 50% milan 50% transnational criminal organizations 40%