In the last three weeks, the United States saw 232 of its athletes — the largest U.S. Winter Olympic team to date — represent the nation in over 116 events across 16 disciplines at the 2026 Winter Olympics. More specifically, the Seattle Times reported that seven of the athletes were foreign-born and another 31 are children to immigrant parents, highlighting the importance of immigration in American society.
Indeed, key components of Team USA come from foreign heritage. For instance, figure skater Ilia Malinin, known for his technical ability and moniker of “Quad God,” is the son of two former Olympic athletes who competed for Uzbekistan. Other examples include monobob bronze medalist Kaillie Humphries, of both Canadian and American descent, who competed for Canada at three Olympics before switching allegiances to the U.S. Similarly, gold-medalist figure skater Alysa Liu is also the child of a Chinese-American immigrant who fled the nation as a political refugee.
Unfortunately, an ongoing crisis both at home and abroad threatens to overshadow the brilliance of our athletes. The presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in Milan as part of the American delegation has sparked controversy globally. Although their presence was explained as a security measure, Italian officials have openly expressed their discontent with the presence of ICE onsite, drawing protestors to gather outside of the U.S. Embassy in Milan. Although athletes compete in the name of our nation, they face a difficult question: is this a nation that they want to represent?
For some, the answer isn’t that simple. Athletes like freestyle skier Hunter Hess have raised their concerns through social media. Hess explains that although he does wear the flag, he doesn’t identify nor align with developments in the nation. Similarly, fellow freestyle skier Chris Lillis expressed concerns with the actions of ICE, emphasizing how athletes on Team USA don’t wish to be associated with ICE’s actions.
Looking beyond these concerns, Americans should reflect upon the Winter Olympics and the role that immigrants played in our success. When more than one-eighth of the delegation is composed of athletes with immigrant heritage, it’s hard to ignore the influential role that immigration plays in our society. Although these three weeks of competition might have been just entertainment for spectators, it represents the culmination of years of work and dedication from athletes. Regrettably, instead of supporting and celebrating these individuals who represent our nation on the global stage, our society is leaning toward turning against and ostracizing them. Despite the issues that America has been experiencing internally, our nation should offer support the athletes that sacrifice so much for our flag on the biggest stage of sports, the Olympics.
Immigration provides a channel of talent and diversity that American society has built itself upon. Despite attempts at hiding this fact through stringent enforcement, events like the Winter Olympics demonstrate the importance of immigrants in our culture. No matter how many differences we may like to draw, they fade when we watch our favorite athletes. In that moment, we become the same: Americans rooting for Americans.