On July 13, the U.S. Department of State announced an effort to “dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court [ICC] to U.S. sovereignty,” according to a press release. This initiative will feature a whole-of-government response aimed at systematically disabling the ICC’s ability to operate, target American military personnel or officials, and otherwise threaten American sovereignty.
Among other actions, the United States will pressure foreign governments to reject the ICC’s authority, impose sanctions on the court, and issue travel bans on ICC officials.
In an op-ed published July 13, Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed the ICC’s abuses against the United States. He outlined how the court has investigated U.S. troops for “war crimes,” criticized U.S. immigration policies and foreign affairs, and even threatened to arrest U.S. senators who have criticized the institution.
Rubio stated that the ICC’s interference with American military and law enforcement operations represents a grave overreach of its purported authorities. He warned that accepting the court would mean the death of the United States as a sovereign and independent nation, placing the country at the mercy of the ICC and its allies in the “international community.”
The Department of State’s announcement follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025 that imposed sanctions on the ICC.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Treaty that established the International Criminal Court but refused to submit it to the U.S. Senate for ratification because it contained “significant flaws,” particularly its threat to American sovereignty. The United States has never joined the ICC — and rightly so.
The International Criminal Court also serves as a globalist tribunal for the United Nations and claims authority to prosecute Americans. This threat to U.S. sovereignty echoes grievances included in the Declaration of Independence, where the Founding Fathers accused King George III of subjecting them to a jurisdiction foreign to their constitution and unacknowledged by their laws.