British skier Gus Kenworthy has taken aim at the Trump administration, and the snow, posting an image of the words “F—- ICE” written in urine ahead of his arrival at Milan Cortina.
The provocative image, posted on Kenworthy’s Instagram, was clearly AI-generated, but it also came with a message draft urging Americans to write to their senators and “rein in ICE and border patrol” ahead of funding negotiations.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been heavily criticized for their actions under the Trump administration’s bid to crackdown on illegal immigration.
“Innocent people have been murdered, and enough is enough,” wrote Kenworthy. “We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities.”
The message continues, adding that senators “must use it to demand real guardrails and accountability — including getting ICE and CBP out of our communities, ending blank-check funding for brutality, and establishing clear limits on warrantless arrests, profiling, and enforcement at sensitive locations like schools and hospitals.“
Kenworthy was born in England but raised in Colorado, where he still lives. He represented the U.S. in the 2014 and 2018 Olympics, winning silver in slopestyle during his first Games.
With 1.2 million Instagram followers, the 34-year-old with Hollywood acting credits has a larger profile than most winter athletes.
The IOC released a media statement suggesting Kenworthy will not face any sanctions.
“During the Olympic Games, all participants have the opportunity to express their views as per the Athlete Expression Guidelines. The IOC does not regulate personal social media posts.”
ICE’s deployment in U.S. cities has been met with heavy protests. Last month, ICE agents killed two civilians in Minneapolis after hundreds of agents were sent to the city amid criticism from local officials.
Reports that ICE agents would be part of a policing strategy in the Games led to “ICE OUT” protests in Milan. The claim was denied by Italy’s government, which said ICE agents would not have any street presence.
However, agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division, who “are not operational agents,” would be part of a U.S. diplomatic mission, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi
.
According to the ICE website, HSI is not part of immigration operations, but handles “illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons and sensitive technology into, out of and through the United States.”
“HSI has offices in 235 cities across the United States and an international presence that spans over 90 offices in more than 50 countries,” it adds.
