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The news that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be working as part of the security team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics should be met with relief by any American who believes in protecting our diplomats and officials abroad. This is a practical deployment of experienced federal personnel to safeguard U.S. interests, not a theatrical provocation; multiple reports say ICE officers will support diplomatic security details rather than conduct immigration enforcement.
Yet predictably, local politicians in Milan have chosen spectacle over sense, denouncing ICE in the most inflammatory terms and saying the agency is “not welcome.” Those comments reveal more about the moralizing of European elites than about the real-world needs of security planning for an event that will draw massive crowds and high-profile Americans.
Make no mistake: protecting the Vice President and the Secretary of State at an international event is not a domestic immigration raid, it is national security. Reports indicate ICE personnel will be assigned to protect U.S. dignitaries and work alongside the State Department’s diplomatic security apparatus, a common practice in past Games that keeps operational control where it belongs — with host-nation authorities and American security teams.
The shrill reaction from Milan’s mayor and left-wing figures is strikingly hypocritical — railing against an American law-enforcement agency while depending on the U.S. for diplomatic protections and international cooperation. If Italian officials really believe they can run major global events without experienced partners, they should try it and explain the results to taxpayers when chaos or a security lapse occurs.
Some have tried to turn this into a morality play fueled by recent tragedies in Minneapolis, but political theater should not dictate security decisions that protect lives. Yes, every use of force must be scrutinized and every agency held accountable, but throwing experienced officers off a mission because of partisan outrage hands an advantage to the very criminal networks Olympic security is designed to deter.
Americans who care about safety should demand clarity and competence, not performative virtue signaling from foreign mayors or media elites. We should support clear rules of engagement, firm coordination with Italian authorities, and the deployment of the best available professionals to ensure the Games are safe for athletes, visitors, and U.S. representatives alike.
At a time when our nation faces real threats overseas and at home, it is patriotic to stand behind those who put themselves between danger and the people they are sworn to protect. If critics want to score political points, let them do it while the rest of us insist on security over symbolism and competence over coddling.
