The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been plagued with criticisms following the killings of some Americans due to the stern orders of President Donald Trump. Most recently, a 37-year-old man from Minneapolis was shot dead following a scuffle with some ICE agents. A similar thing happened with Renee Good, who was shot and killed by ICE agents whilst inside her car.
These and several other incidents have caused fury from some Americans who are concerned about their safety and security. But Trump insists that ICE agents are in place to ensure that illegal immigrants can be deported. As of writing, around 200,000 individuals have already been forced out of the country. It is understandable why thousands of netizens are fuming after reports revealed that one of ICE's branches will be at the Winter Olympics in Italy next month. The selected individuals from the particular ICE branch will provide security at the sports event.
Questionable Decision and Support
'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,' their statement read.
An insider from ICE stressed that their people cannot conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries. Still, Italians couldn't help but feel concerned because they shared the sentiments of Americans regarding the killings.
'They Are Not Welcome in Milan'
Milan City Mayor Giuseppe Sala released a statement after learning about ICE's involvement at the Winter Olympics. He questioned if it's possible to say no to Trump even just for once.
'This is a militia that kills. It is a militia that enters people's homes by signing its own permission — it is clear that they are not welcome in Milan. I wonder: Can we, for once, say no to Trump? ICE agents must not come to Italy because they are not aligned with our democratic way of ensuring security,' he said.
Sala's remarks reflected broader anxiety amongst Milan residents and Italian officials who view the presence of US immigration enforcement agents as incompatible with European democratic values.
Netizens React to the News
Other than Sala, some netizens have also expressed their concerns on social media. 'It wasn't the Olympics who said it, ICE has nothing to do with Italy, and they said that they would be at the embassade on Rome, so idk what era they gonna do in the first place, I hope is that the italian government don't allow them to do anything in the first place lol,' one person wrote on X.
'There is no reason ICE needs to be at the Winter Olympics in Italy,' another person wrote. 'To my utter astonishment, I read that the Americans apparently want to bring ICE to the Winter Olympics in Italy. Not as immigration police, but as security. The Italians are furious and, of course, absolutely do not want any deaths at the Games,' a third person wrote.
As of late, there is no indication that things could still change. After all, the Winter Olympics will commence on 6 February and end on 22 February.
