The news that ICE agents are in Italy during the Winter Olympics is not well received.
Mayor Sala immediately put his foot down when commenting on the planned presence of ICE during the Winter Games from February 6-22 in northern Italy.
"This is a militia that kills... It is clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there is no doubt about that. Can't we just say no to US President Donald Trump for once?" he said in an interview with radio channel RTL 102.5.
“Trampling on human rights”
Alessandro Zan, member of the European Parliament, wrote on X that ICE on Italian soil is "unacceptable".
"In Italy, we do not want those who trample on human rights and act outside of all democratic control," he writes.
Thousands of ICE agents have been ordered by President Donald Trump to various American cities to crack down on illegal immigration.
The involvement in the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has created great outrage and widespread protests directed against ICE.
ICE says the agency has been assigned a mission during the Olympics, something that was also confirmed by the US embassy in Italy. In a statement, it says ICE will support "the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation, to review and minimize the risks posed by transnational criminal organizations."
The agency points out that it does not carry out migration controls abroad and that, like all other American security personnel, it reports to Italian authorities.
“Defensive role”
Italian officials first denied the presence of ICE agents and then downplayed the agency's role in security work.
"It will only be in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen," Lombardy regional president Attilio Fontana told the media.
Matteo Piantedosi, Italy's interior minister, says that "ICE, as we know it, will never operate in Italy."
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the Olympic opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
The International Olympic Committee refers all questions about the security of American interests to the United States Olympic Committee.
