Anti-ICE protesters gather in Milan ahead of Winter Olympics

Protesters Gather in Milan to Oppose Presence of US Immigration Agents at Winter Games

Hundreds of students gathered in Milan on Friday to protest the presence of United States immigration agents at the city’s Milano Cortina Winter Games. The demonstration, led by student groups, featured banners with messages such as “ICE should be in my drinks, not my city.” The protesters were reacting to reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were providing security for the US delegation at the games.

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has stated that ICE agents will operate only within US diplomatic missions. However, students in Milan disagree with this assertion. They turned up in force on the streets, using plastic whistles as a symbol of their opposition to ICE. The protesters also called for visiting US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to leave.

According to protester Giacomo Calvi, the demonstration was an opportunity to express global disapproval of the actions taken by the US government in relation to immigration. Katie Legare, a protester from Minnesota currently studying in Europe, stated that she wanted to show that “the rest of the world is not OK with what’s happening in Minnesota.” The US vice president and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met on Friday, discussing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The meeting between Vance and Meloni took place amidst strained relations between the US and Europe under the Trump administration.

Source: Al Jazeera