Footage of two Italian journalists being threatened by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis has sparked political controversy in Italy.
Laura Cappon and Daniele Babbo, correspondents for Italian state broadcaster RAI, were reporting for the programme In Mezz’Ora when federal agents surrounded their car. The incident took place while they were covering unrest following the killing of protester Alex Pretti by ICE officers.
The footage, broadcast on Sunday, shows agents ordering the driver to lower her window. She refuses and identifies herself as Italian press.
“I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m just driving around my community,” she says. An agent replies: “We are going to break out your window and extract you from the vehicle.”
Another adds: “This is the only warning. If you keep following us, we will break your window and pull you out.”
The video prompted immediate reaction from opposition parties in Italy, who accused the government of failing to defend press freedom.
Government needs to defend press freedom
Giuseppe Conte, former prime minister and leader of the Movimento 5 Stelle, expressed solidarity with the journalists and called on the government to act.
“After the violence and street killings of these past few days, now ICE agents in the United States have also threatened Italian public service journalists who were simply doing their jobs,” Conte wrote on X. “We cannot accept this. Prime Minister Meloni and the entire government must take a stand.”
Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, described the threats as unacceptable and demanded an immediate response from Meloni and foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
Peppe Provenzano, the Democratic Party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, urged the government to lodge a formal protest.
“If it has any national pride, it must distance itself once and for all,” he said. He added that Rome must clarify how it intends to protect Italians living and working in areas where ICE operates.
Green party leader Angelo Bonelli accused Meloni of political subservience to US president Donald Trump. He described the incident as “mafia-like intimidation of the press in the heart of the United States” and said freedom of the press should come before any ideological alliance.
The political backlash coincided with a separate controversy in Italy over reports that ICE agents may be present at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi dismissed the claims, calling them unfounded.
