Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi addressed parliament to clarify reports regarding the possible presence of personnel from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency during the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. According to Piantedosi, this does not represent “a sudden and unilateral erosion of national sovereignty”, but rather the implementation of a “legally binding international agreement” adopted in full compliance with the Constitution and parliamentary prerogatives.
The minister stressed that ICE agents will not conduct any operational policing activities on Italian soil. Responsibility for security and public order, he reiterated, will remain exclusively with Italy’s law enforcement authorities. The role of US personnel will be limited to analytical work and the exchange of information with Italian authorities, within the framework of international investigative cooperation commonly activated for major global events.
Piantedosi also dismissed concerns that scenarios similar to those recently seen in the United States could occur in Italy, calling such fears “completely unfounded”. “Nothing resembling what has been shown in the American media will take place on Italian territory,” he said, adding that the controversy of recent days lacks any factual basis.
In his remarks, the minister recalled that cooperation between Italian authorities and Homeland Security Investigations dates back to a bilateral agreement signed in 2009 and ratified by parliament in 2014. That agreement, approved under a government now in opposition, has helped strengthen Italy’s security and continues to serve the shared interests of both countries in combating serious crimes.