WTF!
‘This Is a Militia That Kills’: Milan Mayor Decries ICE Involvement in Winter Olympics Security
“Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?” asked Mayor Giuseppe Sala.
People walk past fences at Piazza Duomo ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy on January 26, 2026.
(Photo by Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
Julia Conley
Jan 27, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
The mayor of Milan, which is set to host the 2026 Winter Olympics starting February 6, was not convinced Tuesday by assurances that US immigration officials fulfilling security duties at the games will only be providing protections for top US officials.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, said Giuseppe Sala, “are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it.”
.
‘Moral and Political Debacle’: Right-Wing Media, CEOs Urge Trump to Stop Deadly ICE Crackdown
Sala’s comments came after the US Embassy in Rome confirmed an official statement from ICE saying that federal officers are scheduled to provide “diplomatic security” during the Milan Cortina games—days after US immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, the third US citizen killed by employees of the Department of Homeland Security in less than four weeks.
ICE has also garnered international outrage with its detention of people without criminal records even as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to claim it is working to deport the “worst of the worst violent criminals,” and particularly its abduction of young children including 5-year-old Liam Ramos, 7-year-old Diana Crespo, and 2-year-old Chloe Renata Tipan Villacis.
Two Italian journalists were also threatened by ICE agents on Sunday while they were reporting on immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, with the officers telling them, “This is your only warning, if you keep following us, we will break your window and we will pull you out of the vehicle.” Filming and observing ICE agents, as long as one is not interfering with their operations, is a protected right under the US Constitution.
ICE told Al Jazeera that “obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” but Sala suggested that it was not entirely obvious that officers with the agency would not perpetrate violence at the Olympics.
Officers with ICE, he told RTL 102.5 radio, “don’t guarantee they’re aligned with our democratic security management methods.”
“This is a militia that kills,” he added. “Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?”
ICE told Agence France-Presse that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department will be “supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations.”
“All security operations remain under Italian authority,” said the agency.
If mitigating risks is the goal, said Alessandro Zan, a member of European Party representing Italy’s Democratic Party, “it’s paradoxical to entrust it to those who are the first to commit crimes, operating with violence, and killing innocents in cold blood.”
“In Italy, we don’t want those who trample human rights and act outside any democratic control,” said Zan. “It’s unacceptable to think that an agency of this kind could have a role, whatever it may be, in our country.”
HSI typically investigates “the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons, and sensitive technology into, out of, and through the United States,” according to its website.
The Associated Press reported that HSI is among the federal agencies that have helped provide security for US officials at previous Olympic games.
In Milan, the US delegation attending the February 6 opening ceremony will be led by Vice President JD Vance, along with Second Lady Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sala told RTL that the city “can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE.”
Renew Europe, a centrist group within European Parliament, added that it is “not acceptable” for ICE officers to be welcomed in Milan as the agency carries out a violent immigration crackdown across the US.
The Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and Azione, two Italian opposition parties that counter the right-wing government, have started petitions calling on officials to bar any agents with ICE from involvement with security operations at the Milan Cortina games.
La Repubblica reported that the Italian government considered blocking ICE from attending the games as part of the security detail, but declined to do so.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said Zan, “should clearly state what is happening and provide guarantees that Trump’s political police will not set foot in our country.”
“Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?” asked Mayor Giuseppe Sala.
People walk past fences at Piazza Duomo ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy on January 26, 2026.
(Photo by Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images)
Julia Conley
Jan 27, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
The mayor of Milan, which is set to host the 2026 Winter Olympics starting February 6, was not convinced Tuesday by assurances that US immigration officials fulfilling security duties at the games will only be providing protections for top US officials.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, said Giuseppe Sala, “are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it.”
.
‘Moral and Political Debacle’: Right-Wing Media, CEOs Urge Trump to Stop Deadly ICE Crackdown
Sala’s comments came after the US Embassy in Rome confirmed an official statement from ICE saying that federal officers are scheduled to provide “diplomatic security” during the Milan Cortina games—days after US immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, the third US citizen killed by employees of the Department of Homeland Security in less than four weeks.
ICE has also garnered international outrage with its detention of people without criminal records even as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to claim it is working to deport the “worst of the worst violent criminals,” and particularly its abduction of young children including 5-year-old Liam Ramos, 7-year-old Diana Crespo, and 2-year-old Chloe Renata Tipan Villacis.
Two Italian journalists were also threatened by ICE agents on Sunday while they were reporting on immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, with the officers telling them, “This is your only warning, if you keep following us, we will break your window and we will pull you out of the vehicle.” Filming and observing ICE agents, as long as one is not interfering with their operations, is a protected right under the US Constitution.
ICE told Al Jazeera that “obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” but Sala suggested that it was not entirely obvious that officers with the agency would not perpetrate violence at the Olympics.
Officers with ICE, he told RTL 102.5 radio, “don’t guarantee they’re aligned with our democratic security management methods.”
“This is a militia that kills,” he added. “Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?”
ICE told Agence France-Presse that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department will be “supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations.”
“All security operations remain under Italian authority,” said the agency.
If mitigating risks is the goal, said Alessandro Zan, a member of European Party representing Italy’s Democratic Party, “it’s paradoxical to entrust it to those who are the first to commit crimes, operating with violence, and killing innocents in cold blood.”
“In Italy, we don’t want those who trample human rights and act outside any democratic control,” said Zan. “It’s unacceptable to think that an agency of this kind could have a role, whatever it may be, in our country.”
HSI typically investigates “the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons, and sensitive technology into, out of, and through the United States,” according to its website.
The Associated Press reported that HSI is among the federal agencies that have helped provide security for US officials at previous Olympic games.
In Milan, the US delegation attending the February 6 opening ceremony will be led by Vice President JD Vance, along with Second Lady Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sala told RTL that the city “can take care of their security ourselves. We don’t need ICE.”
Renew Europe, a centrist group within European Parliament, added that it is “not acceptable” for ICE officers to be welcomed in Milan as the agency carries out a violent immigration crackdown across the US.
The Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and Azione, two Italian opposition parties that counter the right-wing government, have started petitions calling on officials to bar any agents with ICE from involvement with security operations at the Milan Cortina games.
La Repubblica reported that the Italian government considered blocking ICE from attending the games as part of the security detail, but declined to do so.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said Zan, “should clearly state what is happening and provide guarantees that Trump’s political police will not set foot in our country.”
Italians furious as ICE agents sent to Milan's Olympic Games: 'A militia that kills'
Nicole Charky-Chami
January 27, 2026
RAW STORY
Federal agents detain a resident as immigration enforcement continues after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good on January 7 during an immigration raid, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Jan. 21, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Italians were angry Tuesday after news that the US was sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in Italy.
The announcement reportedly set off confusion after the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the unit was heading to Europe to apparently work as "a security role" for the US delegation at the international event, a DHS spokesperson confirmed with CNN.
“They don’t do immigration enforcement (operations) in a foreign country obviously,” the spokesperson said.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that “All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” McLaughlin said in a statement to CNN.
The move set off outrage among Italians, citing major concern among the Europeans who have watched ICE attack and kill US citizens, including the most recent fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said he would not welcome ICE in his city, which is set to host the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, according to The Associated Press. Vice President JD Vance was expected to attend the event in Milan, where most of the ice sports will be.
“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,” Sala told RTL Radio 102.
Nicole Charky-Chami
January 27, 2026
RAW STORY
Federal agents detain a resident as immigration enforcement continues after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good on January 7 during an immigration raid, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Jan. 21, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Italians were angry Tuesday after news that the US was sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in Italy.
The announcement reportedly set off confusion after the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the unit was heading to Europe to apparently work as "a security role" for the US delegation at the international event, a DHS spokesperson confirmed with CNN.
“They don’t do immigration enforcement (operations) in a foreign country obviously,” the spokesperson said.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that “All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” McLaughlin said in a statement to CNN.
The move set off outrage among Italians, citing major concern among the Europeans who have watched ICE attack and kill US citizens, including the most recent fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said he would not welcome ICE in his city, which is set to host the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, according to The Associated Press. Vice President JD Vance was expected to attend the event in Milan, where most of the ice sports will be.
“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,” Sala told RTL Radio 102.
Anger as branch of ICE to help with security at Winter Olympics
By AFP
January 27, 2026
The news that a branch of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security at the upcoming Winter Olympics has sparked an angry reaction - Copyright AFP ROBERTO SCHMIDT
By AFP
January 27, 2026
The news that a branch of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security at the upcoming Winter Olympics has sparked an angry reaction - Copyright AFP ROBERTO SCHMIDT
Alice RITCHIE
A branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security for the Winter Olympics in Italy, it confirmed Tuesday, sparking anger and warnings they were not welcome.
Reports had been circulating for days that the agency embroiled in an often brutal immigration crackdown in the United States could be involved in US security measures for the February 6-22 Games in northern Italy.
In a statement to AFP, ICE said: “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.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
The State Department said that the HSI has in the past taken part in other Olympics events.
“As in previous Olympic events, multiple federal agencies are supporting the Diplomatic Security Service, including Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative component,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“For the Olympics, the United States is preparing an operations room at its consulate in Milan where representatives from U.S. agencies potentially interested in the event will be present,” Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a statement after a meeting with the US ambassador in Rome.
“Experts from the Department of Homeland Security will also be in this same room,” he added.
According to Piantedosi, these experts are present “in more than 50 countries and have been in Italy for years as well,” emphasising that “security operations within the country are the sole responsibility of the Italian authorities”.
Piantedosi specified that approximately 6,000 law enforcement personnel would be deployed, along with the use of drones and other aerial surveillance equipment, to ensure security at the Games.
According to the ICE website, the HSI investigates global threats, including the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons and sensitive technology into, out of, and through the United States.
ICE made clear its operations in Italy were separate from the domestic immigration crackdown, which is being carried out by the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) department.
“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” it said.
– Vance and Rubio in Milan –
The protection of US citizens during Olympic Games overseas is led by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
Yet the outrage over ICE immigration operations in the United States is shared among many in Italy, following the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
The leftist mayor of Milan, which is hosting several Olympic events, said ICE was “not welcome”.
“This is a militia that kills. It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it, Giuseppe Sala told RTL 102.5 radio.
“Can’t we just say no to (US President Donald) Trump for once?”
Alessandro Zan, a member of the European Parliament for the centre-left Democratic Party, condemned it as “unacceptable”.
“In Italy, we don’t want those who trample on human rights and act outside of any democratic control,” he wrote on X.
Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina organising committee, said he believed ICE agents would be present “for the high-ranking US government officials” and have “nothing to do with the Games’ security aspects”.
“It’s not about the Olympics, but about individuals,” he said.
The International Olympic Committee, when contacted by AFP, replied that “security at the Olympic Games is the responsibility of the authorities of the host country, who work closely with the participating delegations”.
“We kindly refer you to the USOPC (the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee)”, it said.
Judge Schiltz said Lyons’ personal appearance was necessary to explain the lapses and outline steps to ensure future compliance.
Outlook News Desk
Curated by: Jinit Parmar
Updated on: 27 January 2026
Demonstrator holds a sign during a candlelight vigil during a protest in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier in the day Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Summary of this article
A US federal judge in Minnesota ordered ICE acting chief Todd Lyons to appear personally in court over repeated failures to comply with court orders.
Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz called the move extraordinary and warned that continued non-compliance could lead to contempt proceedings.
The order reflects increased judicial scrutiny of ICE’s adherence to legal and court-mandated obligations.
Minnesota’s chief federal judge has ordered the acting head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, to appear personally in court on Friday, citing repeated failures by the agency to comply with court orders.
Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said the directive was an “extraordinary step,” but added that “the extent of ICE violations of court orders is likewise extraordinary.” The judge warned that continued non-compliance could lead to contempt proceedings.
According to the order, the court has issued multiple directives to ICE in recent cases that were either ignored or inadequately addressed, prompting judicial concern over the agency’s adherence to legal obligations. Judge Schiltz said Lyons’ personal appearance was necessary to explain the lapses and outline steps to ensure future compliance.
Federal immigration officers shot and killed a 37-year-old intensive care nurse during an operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, triggering clashes between protesters and authorities and prompting the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard, according to AP and state officials.
Family members identified the man as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse at a VA hospital, who they said was deeply upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and had protested against it in his city. The shooting took place on January 24, 2026, in a neighbourhood already on edge after another fatal immigration-related shooting earlier this month.
According to AP, hundreds of people gathered at the scene after the shooting, confronting federal immigration officers who responded with batons and flash bangs. The Minnesota National Guard was activated on the orders of Governor Tim Walz and deployed to both the site of the shooting and a nearby federal building that has been the focus of daily protests.
Details of what led up to the shooting remained limited. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said authorities were still piecing together the events. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him.
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