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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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Some members of Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Milan have spoken out about the actions Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back home, saying that representing their country brings up "mixed emotions" and that they "do not represent everything going on in the U.S."
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email on Friday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
The Olympics occur at an unusual time for the United States, both domestically and abroad: President Donald Trump, in pursuit of his various policies and broader "America First" agenda, has followed the Silicon Valley adage that it's best to "move fast and break things," which includes pursuing a nationwide deportation operation, which has prompted protests across the country, and threatening to bust up NATO over his desire to own Greenland or incorporate Canada as a new state.
Read More on Politics
Tensions have reached a fever pitch in the U.S. following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both American citizens, by federal agents. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have criticized the consequences of the White House's immigration crackdown, while several celebrities at Sunday's Grammy Awards referenced the federal operations in their acceptance speeches or wore pins with the words "ICE Out."
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What To Know
Athletes representing Team USA have fielded questions across the week leading up to the opening ceremony in Milan about their thoughts and reactions to ICE and the recent violence against American citizens.
Chris Lillis, who will compete in Aerials events, said at a press conference earlier on Friday that "as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights and making sure that we're treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect," adding that he is "heartbroken about what's happening in the United States," specifically in response to questions about ICE and the resulting protests.
"I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that's the America that we're trying to represent," Lillis said.
Hunter Hess, another freestyle skier, went even further, saying that competing for the USA at this time brings up "mixed emotions ... it's a little hard."
"There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't," Hess said. "Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S."
Did ICE go to the Olympics?
Protesters gathered outside of the U.S. Embassy in Milan earlier this week to reject ICE, especially following reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would deploy a contingent of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents to the Olympics to "vet and mitigate risks" during the games.
HSI focuses on international crime and trafficking across the world and is not the same unit as ICE. The deployment itself is not unusual, but it stirred up anger because of the close association with ICE activity in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security said, "All security operations remain under Italian authority," in a statement echoed by Italian authorities.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi this week assured that HSI would only operate within U.S. diplomatic missions, adding that officials are "not operational agents" and "have no executive function," according to Al-Jazeera.
What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance, speaking to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday: “In the spirit of the Olympics friendship, competition — competition based on rules — and just coming together around shared values, we’re very, very thrilled to be here, and we’ll have a great conversation about number of topics."
The Department of Homeland Security on X last month: "Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries. At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. All security operations remain under Italian authority."
What Happens Next
The Milano Cortina Games 2026 will see almost 3,000 athletes from 90 countries compete for a total of 116 medals over the next two weeks.
Update 2/6/26, 7:20 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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