US Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has sparked a major debate with her call for the United States to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), the global war crimes tribunal. Introduced on Wednesday, July 14, 2026, her resolution marks a significant shift in the US approach to international justice. It is a direct challenge to the Trump administration's aggressive stance against the ICC, which has included threats to dismantle it through economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
Omar's move comes just two days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed publicly to undermine the ICC, fuelling concerns about the US undermining international justice. Congresswoman Omar argued that the ICC is a vital tool for justice in areas where victims have nowhere else to turn, saying 'If we truly believe in human rights and the rule of law, we should strengthen international justice – not undermine it. The United States should lead by example and show that no one is above the law.'
The US administration's stance on the ICC starkly contrasts with that of many European allies, who have consistently defended the tribunal against what they see as unfounded assertions about its threat to US sovereignty. On Tuesday, July 13, an EU spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, reasserted the bloc's support for the ICC, stating, 'We stand firm in our backing of the international criminal court. Threats or attacks against the court, elected officials, personnel, or those cooperating with it are unacceptable.'
Historically, there have been periods of bipartisan US support for the ICC, notably following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During this time, Senator Lindsey Graham (R) praised the court as a 'venue to bring bad actors to justice', while Congresswoman Omar introduced her own legislation urging a war crimes investigation in April 2022.
The debate surrounding the ICC coincides with two US advocacy groups' lawsuit against the Trump administration. They claim that a 2025 executive order led them to stop constitutionally protected work related to the ICC's probe into alleged Israeli war crimes in the West Bank and Gaza. Legal experts have contested Secretary Rubio's assertion about the ICC, pointing out that it does not have jurisdiction over prosecuting crimes on US soil since the US has not ratified the Rome Statute, the 2002 treaty establishing the court.