*This content was translated by AI.
As the United States has decided to send an Immigration Enforcement Agency (ICE) agent to the 2026 Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, there is a strong backlash in Italy. The decision was made at a time when public opinion worsened due to the recent shooting of an ICE agent in Minneapolis, USA.
"Multiple government departments, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will send ICE agents to Italy to support security operations during the Olympics," British media 'BBC' reported on the 28th (Korea Standard Time).
When the news spread, immediate concerns and anger erupted in Italy. Milan Mayor Beppe Salah strongly criticized the local radio station, saying, "They are like militias who commit murder," adding, "Of course, they will not be welcomed in Milan."
As the controversy spread, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tayani began to evolve. "The Nazi SS is not coming," he said. "ICE agents do not come with machine guns covering their faces. He explained, "I'm coming as a department in charge of counterterrorism."
In addition, the Foreign Minister said, "There will be no ICE agents on the streets of Italy. The security is entirely handled by the Italian police and military police, he stressed. Italy's Interior Ministry also added, "We will set up an operational situation room at the U.S. Consulate in Milan so that related agencies will perform their duties."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the dispatch is a normal procedure for Olympic security assistance. "All Olympic security operations are directed and managed by Italian authorities," a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said on the "BBC," adding, "The role of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under ICE is limited to supporting tasks that block and verify risks from transnational criminal organizations. We do not carry out immigration crackdown operations outside the United States," he said.
Behind the animosity in Italy is the recent death of Renee Nicole Good in the United States. Protests erupted across the United States at the time when Good was killed in a shooting by an ICE agent. On top of that, public opinion worsened as reporters of the Italian public broadcaster "RAI," which was covering Alex Preti's fall by a Border Patrol agent, were threatened by ICE agents. At the time, ICE agents reportedly threatened the reporter to break the car glass if they continued filming.
Distrust of ICE is also prevalent in the United States. Citing the results of the poll, ABC News reported that 53% of U.S. voters said the shooting of Good was unjustified. Only 35% of the respondents said it was justified. A CNN survey also found that 56% of Americans said it was inappropriate use of force, and 51% perceived that ICE's enforcement activities made cities less secure, rather than safer.
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*This content was translated by AI.
