ROME, Italy (AFP) — A branch of the United States (US) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security for the Winter Olympics in Italy, it confirmed Tuesday, sparking anger and warnings they were not welcome.

Reports had been circulating for days that the agency embroiled in an often brutal immigration crackdown in the United States could be involved in US security measures for the February 6-22 Games in northern Italy.

In a statement overnight to AFP, ICE said: “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations.

“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”

It’s not known whether the HSI has in the past been involved in the Olympics, or whether this is a first.

According to the ICE website, the HSI investigates global threats, as well as investigating the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons and sensitive technology into, out of, and through the United States.

ICE made clear its operations in Italy were separate from the immigration crackdown, which is being carried out by the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) department.

“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” it said.

The protection of US citizens during Olympic Games overseas is led by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).

Yet the outrage over ICE immigration operations in the United States is shared among many in Italy, following the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

The leftist mayor of Milan, which is hosting several Olympic events, said ICE was “not welcome”.

“This is a militia that kills… It’s clear that they are not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about it, Giuseppe Sala told RTL 102.5 radio.

“Can’t we just say no to (US President Donald) Trump for once?”

Alessandro Zan, a member of the European Parliament for the centre-left Democratic Party, condemned it as “unacceptable”.

“In Italy, we don’t want those who trample on human rights and act outside of any democratic control,” he wrote on X.