A unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will join security operations at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. This move has caused strong protests and petitions across Italy. The US embassy in Rome confirmed that ICE agents will support diplomatic security but will not conduct enforcement operations. "At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations," ICE stated. "All security operations remain under Italian authority." The games start on 6 February, and tensions rose after Attilio Fontana, president of Lombardy region, said US politicians would be guarded by ICE "bodyguards" during the event. Many Italians fear ICE's inclusion due to its tough immigration policies and recent unrest in the US, like the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The Italian far-right government considered blocking ICE agents, but this would break usual protocols for protecting US officials abroad. Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, openly opposed ICE’s presence, calling ICE "a militia that kills" and said, "It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it. Can’t we just say no to Trump for once? We can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE." Alessandro Zan, an MEP from Italy’s centre-left Democratic party, called ICE’s involvement "unacceptable". Two opposition parties launched petitions to stop ICE agents from participating. The Green and Left Alliance said, "ICE is the militia that shoots people on the streets of Minneapolis and takes children away from their families." Concerns grew further after RAI, Italy’s state TV, showed video of ICE agents threatening their reporters in Minneapolis. Despite controversy, ICE’s official role at the Olympics remains focused on diplomatic support, not immigration enforcement.