Omar urges US to join ICC as Trump administration targets court

Rep. Ilhan Omar has introduced a House resolution calling for the United States to join the International Criminal Court, putting a direct challenge before the Trump administration as it seeks to weaken the tribunal. The proposal matters because the court has pursued inquiries involving U.S. and Israeli personnel, drawing escalating retaliation from Washington, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Omar’s resolution, introduced Wednesday, urges the U.S. to ratify the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC. It also calls on President Donald Trump’s administration to remove sanctions and visa restrictions imposed on court officials, according to the resolution text cited by Al Jazeera.

The Minnesota Democrat, who was a child refugee from Somalia, said in a statement that U.S. membership would support international accountability. “If we truly believe in human rights and the rule of law, we should strengthen international justice — not undermine it,” Omar said. “The United States should lead by example and show that no one is above the law.”

Rubio vows pressure campaign

The measure followed remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the administration would seek to “dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary,” using “all the tools at our government’s disposal,” Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Rubio accused the court in a video statement of “waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts and the force of so-called international law.”

The State Department announced what it called a “whole-of-government response” aimed at weakening the court, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Measures under review include pressing countries that cooperate with U.S. military and law enforcement agencies to reject the ICC’s authority over American officials and service members.

The department also raised the prospect of closer scrutiny of countries that accept U.S. assistance while declining to reject ICC authority, along with expanded sanctions and travel bans on people and groups linked to the tribunal, according to the report.

Court inquiries draw U.S. and Israeli opposition

The U.S. and Israel have not joined the Rome Statute and do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Both countries, however, have faced accusations tied to conduct in countries that are ICC members.

The ICC has investigated Israel over alleged war crimes in Gaza and issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The report also said multiple experts, including at the United Nations, have described Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide against Palestinians.

The court has also examined alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion, along with alleged abuses at “black sites” where prisoners were held, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.

Trump first sanctioned ICC officials in 2020 over the Afghanistan investigation, before former President Joe Biden lifted those measures, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. During Trump’s current term, multiple prosecutors and judges at the court, as well as rights groups that supplied evidence, have faced sanctions, the report said.

Omar criticized Rubio’s announcement on Monday as “reckless and dangerous.” She said, “I have seen firsthand that impunity breeds more violence,” and called the ICC “a crucial tool for justice when victims have nowhere else to turn.”

The dispute is also playing out in court. Two U.S. advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration, arguing that sanctions forced them to halt work they say is protected by the First Amendment, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Both groups have supported the ICC investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in occupied Palestinian territory.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.