USA curling skip Rich Ruohonen becomes latest Olympian to call out ICE: 'What's happening is wrong'

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan brings out some of the best athletes from around the world, and the United States is no exception. So far, Team USA has won seven medals, including three silver and a pair of gold and bronze. 

But the games also gives athletes an opportunity to speak with the media and take a stand on matters important to them. Since the games began last week, a number of U.S. athletes have been asked about their thoughts on the ICE raids taking place across the country, as well as questions about the Trump Administration in general.  

The latest was U.S. curler Rich Ruohonen, who made some pointed comments about ICE on Tuesday. 

Rich Ruohonen calls out ICE

At a presser for U.S. Curling, Ruohonen, who is a skip for the men's team, spoke out about ICE involvement both in Minnesota and around the country. 

Ruohonen, who is the oldest men's player on the U.S Olympic team, lives in Minnesota and works full-time as an attorney. 

“First of all, I’d like to say I’m proud to be here to represent Team USA and to represent our country,” Ruohonen said. “But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody. This stuff is happening right around where we live.

"I am a lawyer as you know and we have a Constitution and it allows us freedom of the press, freedom of speech, protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures and makes it so that we have to have probable cause to be pulled over. And what's happening in Minnesota is wrong. There's no shades of gray. It's clear. And I really love what's been happening there now, with people coming out. Showing the love, the compassion, integrity and respect for others that they don't know and helping them out. And we love Minnesota for that. 

"I want to make it clear that we are out here, we love our country. We're playing for the U.S. we're playing for Team USA and we're playing for each other and we're playing for our family and our friends that sacrificed so much to get here today. And that doesn't change anything because what the Olympics means is excellence, respect, friendship. And we all I think exemplify that. And we are playing for the people of Minnesota and people around the country who share those same values. That compassion, that love and that respect."

Here is a clip of Ruohenen's comments: 

Ruohenen is far from the first Olympian to comment on what is happening across the United States.  

Other U.S. Olympians to call out ICE

There have been several, including skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillis, snowboarder Chloe Kim and figure skater Amber Glenn. 

Hunter Hess

"I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think, Hess said last week. It's a little hard. There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren't. I think for me it's more I'm representing my, like, friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S." 

"I just think, if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it. Just because I'm wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S.," Hess continued. "So yeah, I just kind of want to do it like for my friends and my family and the people that supported me getting here."

President Trump lashed out on Truth Social about Hess' comments, and called the Olympian "a real loser:"

"U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn't represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics," Trump wrote on Truth Social.  "If that's the case, he shouldn't have tried out for the Team, and it's too bad he's on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

MORE: Donald Trump responds to Hunter Hess' viral post

Vice President J.D. Vance added that if Hess doesn't ant to represent this country, he should "go somewhere else."

Hess responded to the response his comments got on Monday, taking to Instagram to say he loves his country, and part of what makes America great is that you have the right and freedom to point out that things could be better:

Chris Lillis

Hess' teammate, Chris Lillis also spoke out. 

"I love the USA, and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics," Lillis said in response to a question about ICE's actions in Minneapolis. "With that being said, you know, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what's happened in the United States." 

"I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody's rights," he continued. "And making sure that we're treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect." Lillis said. 
 

Chloe Kim

Snowboarder Chloe Kim added that the situation "hits close to home" given that she is the daughter of immigrants from South Korea. 

“The US has given my family and me so much opportunity,” Chloe said. “But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions about what's going on. And I think we need to lead with love and compassion, and I would like to see some more of that.”

Kim posted on Instagram about her family's journey to the U.S. heading into her Olympic games: 

I can't believe I've arrived in Milan to represent my country at the Olympic Games for the third time. If you told little me that, she wouldn't believe you This one feels especially meaningful for so many reasons.
My parents left South Korea in search of a better future for their family. They left behind everything they knew so that my sisters and I could have the chance to one day live the American dream. Their sacrifice is one I will never take for granted.
So when I stand at the top of the halfpipe, competing on the biggest stage in sport, I do so with immense pride. I am representing my country but I am also representing those who took a leap of faith, who came to this beautiful nation carrying hopes, dreams, and courage.
I am proud of my heritage.
I am proud of my journey.
And I am proud to represent a country that is strongest when it embraces diversity, dignity, and hope.
GO TEAM USA!!”

Maddie Mastro 

At the same press conference with Kim, Mastro added that she was"saddened" with what's happening at home. 

"It's really tough," Mastro said. "I feel like we can't turn a blind eye to that. But at the same time, I represent a country that has the same values as mine, of kindness and compassion. And we come together in times of injustice."

Amber Glenn

U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, did not address ICE specifically. But she was asked about how she feels under the current administration: 

“It's been a hard time for the community overall in this administration,” she said. “It isn’t the first time that we've had to come together as a community and try and fight for our human rights." She added, “And now, especially, it's not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn't have to before. And because of that, it's made us a lot stronger.” She also opposed the idea that athletes shouldn’t be political, saying that “politics affect us all.”

Shortly after making her comments, Glenn said that she receiving threats and backlash for her comments.  

 “When I chose to utilize one of the amazing things about the United States of America (freedom of speech) to convey how I feel as an athlete competing for Team USA in a troubling time for many Americans, I am now receiving a scary amount of hate/threats for simply using my voice when asked how I feel,” she wrote on an Instagram story.

While this is already a significant number to speak out on ICE and the Trump administration, there will likely be others as the Olympic games continue.