Italy's Minister Dismisses Concerns Over ICE's Role in Olympics

Concerns Over ICE Presence at Milano Cortina Olympics

ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel deployed for the Milano Cortina Olympics will not conduct any policing on Italian streets, Italy's interior minister said on Tuesday, dismissing political outrage over their presence as baseless.

Minister's Assurance on Security Measures

ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism in the United States over their enforcement of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, and recent news that ICE would be operating at the February 6-22 Games caused anger in Italy.

Political Reactions and Protests

Addressing those concerns, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told parliament that only operatives from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division would be in Milan.

Background of ICE's Involvement

"We will not see anything on national territory that resembles what has been seen in the media in the United States," Piantedosi said, confirming previous statements that the HSI investigators would only work out of U.S. diplomatic missions.

"The concern that inspired the controversy of recent days is therefore completely unfounded," the minister said.

FIERCE CRITICISM OF ICE PRESENCE

Italian politicians, particularly from centre-left opposition parties, had fiercely criticised the presence of ICE agents at the Games following the shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who were observing or protesting ICE actions.

Piantedosi said the presence of HSI investigators stemmed from a bilateral accord ratified by Italy in 2014 when the centre-left was in power.

"The presence of personnel linked to the ICE agency is not a sudden or unilateral attempt to restrict our national sovereignty," Piantedosi said. "It is the implementation of a binding international agreement, fully compliant with our Constitution and parliamentary prerogatives."

A hard-left Italian trade union has announced an "ICE OUT" protest during the February 6 opening ceremony.

Piantedosi said Italy had drawn up a massive security plan for the Games, which are being staged across northern regions, and was dispatching 6,000 police officers, ranging from bomb squads and canine anti-sabotage teams to alpine units and anti-terror operatives.

"We will not deviate one centimetre from the course we have taken to ensure safety and public order at this major event, which will further strengthen Italy's international credibility," he said.

Among those expected for Friday's opening ceremony are U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by David Holmes)