Italy’s Minister of the Interior says, ‘We shall see nothing on the national territory like what we have seen in America.
Published on February 4, 2026
Agents of a divided United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency will have no operational role. Winter OlympicsItaly’s interior minister has said just days before the opening of the Milan-Cortina Games.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is an independent investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within the US immigration crackdown. operate Only in US diplomatic missions and “no operational agents” and “no executive function”, Matteo Piantedosi told the Italian parliament on Wednesday.
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Along with the mayor of Milan, he expressed his anger at the presence of HSI Warning It was “totally unfounded” that they were not welcomed to the city during the February 6-22 Winter Games.
“ICE cannot and will never be able to carry out operational police activities on our national territory,” Pientedosi said.
The minister aimed to clarify news of the controversial deployment of ICE agents, which Prohibition In the Italian metropolis.
“Security and public order is ensured only by our police forces,” he said.
“During the Milan-Cortina Games, members of this agency will only be engaged in analysis and exchange of information with the Italian authorities,” he added.
“The presence of personnel linked to the ICE agency is certainly not a sudden and unilateral initiative to undermine our national sovereignty, as some have portrayed, but compliance with a legally binding international agreement entered into by Italy.”
Last week, the US agency said it would support “the Department’s diplomatic security services and the host nation to investigate and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”
Following the announcement, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said ICE would not be welcome in his city.
“It’s a militia that kills … It’s clear they’re not welcome in Milan. There’s no doubt about that. Can’t we just say no to (US President Donald) Trump for once?” He said in an interview with RTL 102.5 radio.
ICE said its operations in Italy are separate from the immigration crackdown ordered by Trump in the US.
The Italian interior minister confirmed that the agency’s role would be limited.
“We’re not going to see anything on national territory that resembles what we’ve seen in the media in the United States,” Piantedosi said.
“The concerns that inspired the debate over the past few days are completely unfounded and this information allows me to definitively dispel them.”