Rubio warns ICC against enforcing rulings on Americans

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the International Criminal Court not to enforce rules Washington does not recognize, arguing that international law is being weaponized to constrain U.S. policy and that the court lacks accountability. Speaking at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, he cited administration actions including strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and invoked the phrase “stop quoting laws to men with swords.” His remarks came as the Trump administration sought to isolate and cripple the ICC through sanctions and other measures, following its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes in Gaza, as well as amid the prospect of scrutiny of U.S. actions. The United States signed but never ratified the treaty establishing the court, and the administration says the ICC has no authority over U.S. citizens. European countries and the United Nations have opposed the sanctions; supporters of the ICC say it provides a last-resort venue for accountability when national systems fail.