The Winter Olympics open on February 6. According to a spokesperson, an investigative department of ICE will support the diplomatic security service DSS “in screening and combating threats from transnational crime organizations.” The agency emphasizes that ICE will not conduct immigration enforcement operations abroad.
Not welcome
Not everyone is happy with the presence of ICE during the Games. “Milan is not waiting for ICE agents,” Mayor Giuseppe Sala told radio station RTL 102.5. “This is a militia that kills.” According to Sala, it is clear that the service is not welcome in the city. “Can’t we finally say no to Trump?”
There has been a lot of criticism in the United States of the violent actions of ICE for some time. The agency is active in several cities with thousands of agents and has also arrested American citizens. Otherwise we can write miss ‘Two people were recently killed in Minneapolis by shots fired by ICE agents. This led to great anger and ongoing protests against the immigration authorities. Local leaders and parliamentarians demand investigation and call for withdrawal of the thousands of officers:
Role in anti-terrorism
Initially, Italian authorities denied that ICE would play a role during the Games. It was later clarified that the agency is exclusively involved in the security of the American delegation.
“The problem is not that people come with guns and covered faces,” says Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. “These are officials who belong to a specific department. They come because that department is responsible for anti-terrorism.” According to Tajani, these are not the same officers who are active in American cities such as Minneapolis.
