ICE protests aren’t only happening across the US — they’ve also jumped across the pond to Italy ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off in Milano Cortina on Friday, February 6.
Last week, news that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be present at the games sparked a nationwide backlash. Despite the US Department of Homeland Security clarifying that agents are not there to “conduct immigration enforcement operations” and that security would remain under Italian authority, protesters flooded the streets to oppose their presence.
Hundreds of protesters in Milan gathered at Piazza XXV Aprile, a square named for the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945. They held signs, blew whistles, and spoke with reporters.
“I wanted to make a message that was clear and easy to read, that clearly shows that ICE … [I] don’t really approve the behavior of ICE agents in the US. So that’s why I came here today,” one protester in Milan said, speaking with CNN about his homemade sign.
“It should be a moment to calm down, think about sport, come together through sport, and maybe even start to reason a little and change attitude about many things, open ourselves up,” another protester in Milan said, speaking in Italian about the Olympic Games. “That’s what sport is for. It doesn’t serve to convey other messages if not ones of peace, tolerance, and openness. And it is absolutely not this, and there is no need. There is no need.”
Across the country, Italians voiced their concerns. “We absolutely don’t want them. We don’t want this world,” Michela Penna, a resident in Rome, said in Italian while speaking with CBC.
“They can keep them. Actually, they should lock them all up because they are Nazi lunatics. Calling them fascists is an understatement,” she continued.
In response to initial backlash, the Italian government further clarified the role of ICE agents at the Olympics. “We need to look at the responsibilities of what ICE agents actually are. If they come, they will come to cooperate, not out on the streets, but to cooperate with the police, just as police forces from other countries do,” said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala echoed those concerns, saying ICE would not be welcome in his city. “This is a militia that kills. It’s a militia that enters people’s homes by signing permits for themselves,” he told an Italian radio station. “It’s clear they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about that.”
As videos of the protests spread online, people from around the world shared their confusion, concerns, and support in the comments.
“why would ICE even be in ITALY????? 😭” one wrote.
“no reason for ice to be there. this is ridiculous and a waste of resources,” another said.
“ICE is not a police force. They are immigration and customs enforcement for the US. Immigration and customs enforcement for the US has nothing to do with the Olympics in Italy,” someone else echoed.
And lastly, this person wrote, “Thank you, Italian friends! Americans deeply appreciate this!”
With the opening ceremony just days away, it remains unclear whether ICE’s presence will change in response to the backlash. For now, protests in Italy and criticism online are showing no signs of slowing.
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