Italian Politicians Furious Over Role of Immigration Enforcement in Winter Olympics Security
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will play a role in securing the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The involvement has sparked outrage among Italian politicians, who have criticized ICE as "a militia that kills" and called for it not to be welcome in the host city.
The agency's focus on transnational crime and human trafficking is being seen as at odds with Italy's democratic values, particularly given recent incidents of violence from federal officers. The city's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, has expressed concern about the presence of ICE agents, stating that they "are not aligned with our way of ensuring security."
Italian lawmakers have also spoken out against the involvement of ICE, with one describing it as "paradoxical" to trust an agency responsible for violent actions in international crimes. Another senator called for clarity on how Italian and European Union privacy and cybersecurity standards are being respected.
ICE officials claim that their role will be limited to supporting security operations led by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, with all security operations remaining under Italian authority. However, this has not alleviated concerns among Italian politicians, who have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the presence of ICE agents in Italy.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will play a role in securing the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The involvement has sparked outrage among Italian politicians, who have criticized ICE as "a militia that kills" and called for it not to be welcome in the host city.
The agency's focus on transnational crime and human trafficking is being seen as at odds with Italy's democratic values, particularly given recent incidents of violence from federal officers. The city's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, has expressed concern about the presence of ICE agents, stating that they "are not aligned with our way of ensuring security."
Italian lawmakers have also spoken out against the involvement of ICE, with one describing it as "paradoxical" to trust an agency responsible for violent actions in international crimes. Another senator called for clarity on how Italian and European Union privacy and cybersecurity standards are being respected.
ICE officials claim that their role will be limited to supporting security operations led by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, with all security operations remaining under Italian authority. However, this has not alleviated concerns among Italian politicians, who have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the presence of ICE agents in Italy.
italian politics are always so dramatic 
but seriously, i think it's a bit much for ice to be involved in the olympics security 
. i mean, they're just trying to do their job and keep everyone safe, right? 
maybe they can focus more on preventing transnational crime instead of being all about enforcement? 
also, let's not forget that italian officials have a point about respecting privacy and cybersecurity standards 
. it's not like ice is gonna just barge in and start snooping around 
. hopefully, everything will work out and the olympics can be a success without any major hiccups 
.
2004 games were pretty chill too lol 
i mean, whats the diff now? seems to me they just wanna use this as a pretext to show off their "security" skills 
ICE is involved in the Winter Olympics security? That's like, a total red flag 
for me. I mean, I get it, security is important but come on, can't we just have a peaceful event without all this drama 
? And Italian politicians are right to be upset too 
ICE has such a questionable track record when it comes to human rights and treatment of immigrants...it's just not something you want associated with your country's reputation 
. I hope the EU is like "hold up" on this one 
I mean, can't we just let people live and work without all this drama? It feels like everyone's getting worked up over nothing. I've had friends from Italy come to visit me in the States and they're always so welcoming... it's crazy that their own politicians are turning on them over some ICE agents showing up at a hockey tournament 
️
️? Meanwhile, these politicians are getting super worried about their "way of ensuring security". I get it, but is this really the best use of resources? Maybe they're trying to distract us from something 
... I mean, what's next? The NSA at Wimbledon or something? 
Back in the day, we had protests about police brutality and systemic racism... now we're worried about ICE being present at a major international event? It's just crazy how fast things can change. I guess that's progress for ya, right? 
Like, what's next? gonna be a police state or somethin'? 
I get it, security is important, but can't they just have their own booth like everyone else and leave us alone? 