a minute agoU.S. will send ICE agents to the Milan Winter Olympics, provokes outrage at Italians
Periskopi(6 months ago)
(6 months ago)The US immigration agency, whose officers have been involved in two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, has said it is sending agents to help support American security operations during the Winter Olympics, which begin in Italy on 6 February. Confirmation of the agency's role came immigration and [...]
Confirmation of the agency's role came immigration and Gastoms Enforcement (ICE), as reports caused alarm and anger in Italy.
This is a militia that kills... of course not welcome in Milan”, the city mayor, Beppe Sala, told Italian radio on Tuesday.
A spokesman for ICE stressed that “all security operations remain under Italian authority”.
U.S. Embassy sources in Rome had already explained to Italian media that various federal agencies had worked in previous games in the past, though it was not clear whether ICE had participated on its own.
The agency's statement on Tuesday explained that the “ICE's National Security Investigations (HSI) are supporting the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the host nation to verify and ease risks by Transnational criminal organisations”.
It “naturally” will not conduct immigration implementation operations outside the US, she said.
The statement was given to the AFP news agency and confirmed by the embassy's sources for Associated Press. The BBC has also addressed the National Security Department for comment.
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Pantededos initially seemed unaware that American immigration officials would come to the Milan-Cortina Olympics and said that even if they came, foreign delegations could choose their own security, saying: “I don't see what the problem is and it's very normal”.
