The usual left-wing pearl-clutching has already kicked into overdrive across Europe as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents — specifically from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit — prepare to head to Italy for the Winter Olympic Games. Italy’s political class and activist circles erupted at the idea of Americans even supporting security at the Olympics, with mayors and lawmakers openly blasting ICE as unwelcome and likening them to dangerous forces.
Let’s be clear about what’s actually happening: these aren’t the boots-on-the-ground immigration enforcers from CBP’s ERO unit — the ones you see doing the heavy lifting in U.S. cities. This is HSI, the arm that investigates transnational crimes and supports diplomatic and international security work. They’re going to assist with vetting and threat assessment as part of a broader U.S. security team, not to run checkpoints or enforce immigration laws in Italy.
The distinction between ICE’s two units appears completely lost on some European officials, who’ve gone straight into panic mode over the United States helping secure the Winter Games. Instead of understanding that HSI handles international crime and security — not street-level immigration enforcement — they’ve chosen hysteria over facts.
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Milan’s mayor exemplified that meltdown, branding ICE “a militia that kills” and declaring U.S. agents “not welcome” in the city:
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala issued a fiery statement during an interview on Italian radio this week, calling ICE a dangerous “militia” that he would not allow into his city.
“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips,” Sala told a local Italian radio station, referencing a recent ICE memo allowing the use of administrative warrants, rather than judicial warrants, to enter homes in the U.S.
“It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,” he added. The city is set to host the Feb. 6 opening ceremony, which Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to attend.
It’s hard to believe any rational European with even a passing knowledge of the U.S. (and copious access to the Internet) would believe that “killer militias” deployed by the federal government are roaming the fruited plains, but here we are.
Mayor Sala’s hysterical take was almost certainly fueled by a wave of sloppy, vague European media reports breathlessly claiming that ICE was “deploying agents to Italy.” He wasn’t alone in missing the facts. The misinformation spread fast, online petitions popped up demanding ICE be banned from the Games, and some Italian outlets even sent crews to harass ICE agents back in Minneapolis — because nothing says “serious journalism” like chasing the wrong story in the wrong country.
In reality, the panic is completely misplaced. The HSI agents in question will be operating out of a control room at the U.S. Consulate in Milan, providing security support for American diplomats attending the Winter Games. They are not roaming Italian neighborhoods, kicking in doors, or “raiding” private residences:
Italy’s Interior Ministry said later that the HSI investigators would be stationed at a control room at the U.S. Consulate in Milan, in a support role with other U.S. law enforcement agencies, and that they would not include personnel involved in immigration controls in the United States. It noted in a statement issued after Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta met Tuesday morning that HSI agents are present in more than 50 countries, including for many years Italy.
“All of the security operations in the territory remain as always the exclusive responsibility and direction of Italian authorities,’’ the ministry said.
Hopefully this meltdown isn’t a preview of what American athletes will face once the Games begin, but recent history doesn’t inspire much confidence. Leftists across borders seem increasingly incapable of basic decorum, especially when an international spotlight gives them a stage.
Don’t be surprised if agitators try to hijack the Winter Games for political theater, using the world’s attention as leverage to push grievances that have nothing to do with sports.
By the way, the Winter Olympics, the opening night of which will be attended by Vice President JD Vance, are February 6-22.
