ROME: Italy has deta­iled a sweeping security plan for the Winter Olym­pics, stressing that all ope­r­ations will remain under its command after it eme­rged that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff would be assisting the US delegation.

The Games will be one of the most complex security operations Italy has had to manage with the event split between two main hubs, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, with additional events held in other locations across northern Italy.

Around 3,500 athletes will take part in the event, which runs from February 6 to 22, with the government expecting some two million visitors, including 60,000 for the opening ceremony in Milan’s San Siro stadium. The US delegation will be led by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the security operation blended fie­ld deployments, intelligen­ce-led prevention and, for the first time at a major event in Italy, a 24-hour cybersecurity control room.

About 6,000 law-enfo­rcement officers will be stationed across multiple Olympic sites, supported by no-fly and restricted-access areas.

Competing nations oft­en bring their own security personnel. In that vein, the US State Dep­artment said on Tuesday that several federal agencies, including ICE, would help protect the visiting Americans as they have at past Olympics.

The interior ministry said in a statement that ICE staffers would only work in US diplomatic offices such as the Milan consulate, and “not on the ground”.

“All security operations on Italian territory remain, as always, under the exclusive responsibility and direction of the Italian authorities,” the ministry said.

The ministry’s assurances have not quelled criticism. The hard-left USB union has called an “ICE OUT” rally in central Milan on February 6, coinciding with the Games opening ceremony, while opposition parties and left-wing groups plan a protest.

ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism in the Uni­ted States over their enfo­rcement of President Don­ald Trump’s immigration crackdown, with images of their actions shocking many in Italy, traditionally a very close US ally.

Under the Olympics dep­loyment plan, more than 3,000 regular police officers, some 2,000 Carabinieri military police and more than 800 Guardia di Fina­nza tax police will be assi­gned to venues, with Milan hosting the largest contingent.

The plan also includes drone surveillance, robotic inspection systems for hazardous or inaccessible areas, and a cybersecurity command centre in Milan tasked with monitoring both Olympic networks and strategic transport infrastructure that faced disruption ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026