The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Homeland Security Investigations, a unit within Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will assist with security at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games starting Feb. 6. The deployment has set off concern and confusion in Italy, where officials and residents expressed outrage at the inclusion of any ICE unit, given the agency’s role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, which have intensified in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
The distinction between HSI, which investigates cross-border crimes, and the deportation-focused arm of ICE known as Enforcement and Removal Operations was not immediately clear to Italian media and the public, despite official assurances that only investigators would be deployed.
Italy’s Interior Ministry confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division will assist with security for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, setting off concern and outrage from Italian officials and residents opposed to the agency’s role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations.
HSI, which focuses on cross-border crimes including human smuggling and fentanyl trafficking, has been deployed to major international events for years. Italian authorities and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said agents would operate in a support capacity from the U.S. Consulate in Milan, working to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.
But the distinction between HSI and the arm of ICE that leads the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign — Enforcement and Removal Operations — was not immediately clear to Italian media or the public.
Milan Mayor Rejects the Deployment
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala rejected the deployment bluntly. “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.
The mayor’s comments reflected frustration in Italy over the U.S. agency’s conduct. In recent weeks, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis have led to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers, drawing international attention to ICE tactics.
Understanding Homeland Security Investigations
Homeland Security Investigations is a distinct unit within ICE, staffed by investigators focused on transnational crimes. According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents from HSI are stationed in more than 50 countries, including Italy for many years.
“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,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday.
In contrast, Enforcement and Removal Operations handles monitoring, arrests and deportations of immigrants. Under the Trump administration, HSI agents have begun working more closely with ERO officers, focusing on immigration fraud cases in addition to transnational crimes.
Italian Government Offers Reassurances
Italy’s Interior Ministry said that HSI investigators would not include personnel involved in immigration controls. “All of the security operations in the territory remain as always the exclusive responsibility and direction of Italian authorities,” the ministry said.
The games, starting Feb. 6, will be the most geographically dispersed Winter Olympics on record, spreading across seven towns and cities in northern Italy. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony in Milan. Italy has mobilized more than 6,000 police and agents to secure the event, coordinated by the Interior Ministry and regional authorities.
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