MILAN (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will have a security role during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to information shared with local media by sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The Associated Press independently confirmed the information with two officials at the embassy.
The officials who confirmed ICE participation on Tuesday said that federal ICE agents would support diplomatic security details and would not run any immigration enforcement operations.
During previous Olympics, several federal agencies have supported security for U.S. diplomats, including the investigative component of ICE called Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the officials said. They could not be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
HSI has a global footprint, and it’s common for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide security support at major international events.
The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service does this as well, routinely supporting events like the Olympics. The use of U.S. law enforcement agencies in these contexts isn’t unusual. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Transportation Security Administration deployed officers to assist with airport screening due to the surge in visitors and the potential threat of attacks.
