Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security [confirmed to The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/world/europe/italy-ice-olympics.html) that ICE would accompany a US delegation to the Games. They would, according to a statement attributed to DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, be working with a State Department team “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations” and not to conduct immigration enforcement.
Ein Kommentar
(Submission Statement)
With less than a week to go until the start of the [2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics](https://www.wired.com/tag/2026-winter-olympics/) in Italy, the topic making headlines isn’t sports. It’s security. For days, the Italian government, the city of Milan, embassies, and consulates have been trying to respond to public outcry following reports about the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Games as the agency sows [chaos](https://www.wired.com/story/minnesota-sues-to-stop-ice-invasion/), [violence](https://www.wired.com/story/ice-pretends-its-a-military-force-its-tactics-would-get-real-soldiers-killed/), and [death](https://www.wired.com/story/the-campaign-to-destroy-renee-good/) in the US.
Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security [confirmed to The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/world/europe/italy-ice-olympics.html) that ICE would accompany a US delegation to the Games. They would, according to a statement attributed to DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, be working with a State Department team “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations” and not to conduct immigration enforcement.
US officials claim such security measures are common for the Games and stressed that Italy would be in charge of security. Still, following the recent shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and [Renee Nicole Good](https://www.wired.com/story/the-campaign-to-destroy-renee-good/) at the hands of US immigration agents, Italians were upset over ICE’s presence. Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, went so far as to tell a local radio station that agents were “[not welcome](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/europe/italy-ice-agents-security-olympics-intl)” in the city.
Read the full article: [https://www.wired.com/story/ice-and-qatari-security-forces-at-the-winter-olympics-put-italians-on-edge/](https://www.wired.com/story/ice-and-qatari-security-forces-at-the-winter-olympics-put-italians-on-edge/)