US ICE agents to support security at Winter Olympics, stirring anger in Italy

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel will help protect U.S. delegations at the Winter Olympics in Italy, a U.S. embassy source said on Tuesday, confirming local media reports and prompting anger among some Italian politicians.



ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism in the United States over their enforcement of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown after two U.S. citizens were shot dead in separate incidents this month in the state of Minnesota.



The embassy source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division would back up the U.S. State Department's security service at the February 6-22 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.



The HSI agents will not carry out any immigration enforcement activity while in Italy but will rather aim to "mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations", the source said, without elaborating.



"All security operations remain under Italian authority," the source added.