United States Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed at Milan's Malpensa Airport on separate flights on Thursday in view of their participation at Friday's opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the San Siro Stadium.
    Security was extremely tight at the airport for the arrival of two of the leading members of President Donald Trump's cabinet.
    American singer Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli are among the artists set to perform at the ceremony.
    The run-up to the Games has been overshadowed by a row about the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Italy during the Olympics.
    Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has said there are no grounds to be concerned as the ICE officials will not have an operative role here.
    "ICE does not, and will never be able to, carry out police operational activities on our national territory," the minister told the Lower House on Wednesday.
    "Indeed, security and public order are guaranteed exclusively by our police forces.
    "Members of this agency will be engaged only in analytical activities and the exchange of information with the Italian authorities during the Milano Cortina Games".
    ICE agents killed two people in Minneapolis last month.
    "We will not see anything that resembles what has been seen in the media in the United States on our national soil," Piantedosi said.
    "The concerns that have inspired the controversy of recent days are therefore completely unfounded".

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