Hundreds of demonstrators protested Saturday in Milan against the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics, despite the agents being assigned to a control room role and not street-level operations.
Milan Protest Draws Opposition From Political Groups
The protest in Piazza XXV Aprile, named for the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945, included participants from the left-leaning Democratic Party, the CGIL trade union confederation, and the ANPI organizations dedicated to preserving the memory of Italy’s partisan resistance during World War II, among others.
Protesters were provided with plastic whistles, which they blew while music played from a van. The demonstration voiced opposition both to the presence of ICE agents providing security for the U.S. delegation and to what many described as a rise in fascism within the United States.
Banners displayed slogans including “No thank you, from Minnesota to the world, at the side of anyone who fights for human rights,” “Never again means never again for anyone,” and “Ice only in Spritz,” a play on the popular Italian aperitif.
Concerns Raised by Officials and Protesters
The planned deployment of ICE agents has sparked criticism in Italy. Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala has stated they are not welcome, and Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi has been summoned to Parliament to address the deployment this week.
Protester Silvana Grassi displayed a sign reading “Ice = Gestapo,” expressing distress over past actions of ICE agents in Minneapolis, including shootings and the detention of children. “It makes me want to cry to think of it,” Grassi said. “It’s too terrible. How did they elect such a terrible, evil man?”
Officials clarified that the ICE agents being deployed to Milan are not part of the same unit responsible for immigration enforcement in Minnesota and other U.S. cities.
Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit focused on cross-border crimes, routinely sends officers to international events like the Olympics to support security efforts. The ICE unit primarily involved in U.S. immigration enforcement, known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, is not expected to participate in the deployment to Italy.
Despite the distinction, some protesters remained opposed to any ICE presence. “Even if it’s not the same ones, we don’t want them here,” Grassi said.
Paolo Bortoletto, another protester, acknowledged the agents’ investigative role but stated, “We don’t want them in our country. We are a peaceful country. We don’t want fascists. It’s their ideas that bother us.”
The Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin on Feb. 6 with an opening ceremony that will be attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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