US ICE agents will be deployed to Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, as American officials say that killer drones could threaten the games.
Director of the US major events security Tim Ayers called drones “a massive issue” after the aircraft have proven deadly in Ukraine.
Milan and Cortina will host the 2026 Winter OlympicsCredit: Reuters
ICE agents will be present at the games as part of diplomatic security effortsCredit: Reuters
The mayor of Milan said the agents are not welcome in his cityCredit: Getty
He said: “Our authorities are constantly on the lookout.”
Outdoor mountain venues, where drones are easier to hide, are particularly vulnerable, so Italian police and military are stepping up security.
ICE will not be running immigration enforcement ops from Italy, but will help with diplomatic security details, a source told il Fatto Quotidiano.
Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala said that the agents would not be welcome in his city, which will host most ice events.
He told RTL Radio 102: “They are not welcome in Milan. They are not aligned with our democratic way of managing security.”
Italian Interior Ministere Matteo Piantedosi said at the weekend that he hadn’t been told about the planned ICE presence, but said “I don’t see what the problem would be”.
It comes after Italian network RAI TV aired a video of ICE agents threatening to break the glass of one of their TV crews reporting on protests in Minneapolis.
Chaos has reigned on the streets of Minneapolis since Renee Nicole Good, 37, was .
Protests erupted across the US, leading to another deadly clash in which ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, who was shot dead by Border Patrol agents.
President ” about the killing.
was carrying a “very dangerous gun” during a confrontation with armed officers on Saturday before he was of Minneapolis.
He is thought to have been carrying a Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol – which he had a permit for – when he was shot.
Conflicting reports have claimed that Pretti’s gun went off moments before an agent shot at him.
Trump has since been quizzed over whether the shooting was justified by the agent after footage showed Pretti’s final moments.
The US president made it clear: “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it.”
He added during a phone call with the Wall Street Journal : “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also.
“That doesn’t play good either.”
Olympic illuminations representing winter sports, near Piazza DuomoCredit: AFP
Federal agents stand behind police tape as demonstrators gather in MinneapolisCredit: AFP
Federal agents and protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 24, 2026Credit: AFP
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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