Vance booed at Olympics as thousands protest ICE presence
Italian protests reject U.S. immigration enforcement at Milan Games
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance attended the Feb. 6, 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro Stadium
The crowd of 60,000 people cheered when Team USA entered during the Parade of Nations
When cameras showed the Vances on the stadium screens waving American flags, the crowd booed, whistled, and jeered CBC commentator Adrienne Arsenault said those are a lot of boos for him.
Key Concepts
Essential concepts and terms to understand this topic
Informal Executive Power
Policy influence exercised by unelected White House staff through control of information, meetings, and access to the President.
Immigration Sanctuary Cities
Jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Coercive Diplomacy
A foreign policy strategy using military threats and force as leverage to compel an adversary to accept diplomatic terms.
Sanctuary City
Cities that limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents to protect residents from ICE enforcement.
Social Media Surveillance
Government monitoring of individuals' social media accounts and posts for enforcement purposes.
Key People
6
JD Vance
Vice President of the United States
Vance led the U.S. delegation to the Feb. 6, 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan. He was booed by 60,000 people in the stadium when shown on screens. He met with Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Protesters demanded he leave Italy due to ICE's presence with the U.S. delegation.
Giuseppe Sala
Mayor of Milan
Sala publicly called ICE a militia that kills on RTL 102.5 radio. He said ICE is not welcome in Milan and asked if Italy could just say no to Trump for once. His statements gave political cover to protesters and showed Italian officials distancing themselves from U.S. law enforcement.
GM
Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy
Meloni welcomed Vance to Milan and met with him on Feb. 6. Her cabinet approved a security decree on Feb. 5 allowing police to jail protesters for 12 hours on suspicion of planning violence. She deployed 6,000 police officers to secure the Games with heavy lockdown measures.
MP
Matteo Piantedosi
Italian Interior Minister
Piantedosi told parliament that ICE agents would only have an advisory role and would not operate on Italian territory. He said agents would function solely within U.S. diplomatic missions. His statements tried to minimize ICE's presence but didn't stop protests.
KC
Kirsty Coventry
President of the International Olympic Committee
Coventry asked at a Feb. 5 news conference that spectators be respectful of American officials at the opening ceremony. She said she hoped it would be an opportunity to be respectful of each other. The crowd booed Vance anyway, ignoring her request.
MR
Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
Rubio attended the Feb. 6 opening ceremony as part of the U.S. delegation. Protesters demanded he leave Italy along with Vance. He met with Italian officials during the visit.
What you can do
Contact your representatives about ICE accountability measures
civic action
Italian officials and protesters cited ICE killing two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis as the reason for rejecting the agency's presence. Congress can require body cameras, restrict roving patrols, and mandate judicial warrants for arrests. These are the same reforms Democrats proposed during DHS funding negotiations.
Support organizations documenting international ICE protests
civic action
Groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch document how U.S. immigration enforcement affects international relations. These organizations track protests in Italy, Canada, and other countries. Their reports provide evidence for congressional oversight and international pressure.
Contact the State Department about diplomatic consequences
civic action
The State Department manages relationships with allies. When Italian officials publicly reject U.S. law enforcement and protesters demand the vice president leave, it creates diplomatic problems. Ask how the department plans to repair relationships damaged by ICE enforcement.