US Urges Latin American Nations to Exit ICC, Accuses Court of Undermining Sovereignty
United States (US) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday (12/8) urged Latin American countries that are members of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition (ACCC) to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the judicial body of undermining national sovereignty.
“I strongly encourage every ACCC member to leave the ICC and reject their efforts to seize sovereignty from your governments and courts,” Hegseth said in a speech in Panama.
He argued that every country should retain the authority to deploy troops and protect its citizens based on its own laws and constitution.
“Our nations maintain sovereignty and the ability to deploy our own soldiers to defend ourselves,” said Hegseth, who is spearheading what he calls a “warrior culture” initiative.
“We are only accountable to our own citizens and constitutions, not to unelected international bureaucrats.”
He also accused the ICC of seeking to establish jurisdiction over US military personnel and those of its partner nations and their military operations, calling the move “an unlawful power grab”.
As defence secretary and previously, Hegseth has argued that unnecessary rules force US soldiers to fight with “one hand tied behind their backs”, while stressing that the primary consideration should be “lethality”. He also urged US President Donald Trump to intervene to defend military personnel facing war crimes charges.
Hegseth also announced that Colombia would join the ACCC and said Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella had asked the US to participate in his country’s fight against narco-terrorism.
“I am also proud to announce that Colombia will join the ACCC as its 19th member. And through the newly inaugurated president, whom our president likes to call President ‘El Tigre’, Colombia has asked the War Department to join Colombia’s fight against narco-terrorism, by allowing joint military operations to destroy terrorist networks and terror,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth’s statement came amid Washington’s increasingly aggressive campaign against the ICC. Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts to “subdue the International Criminal Court” were aimed at protecting Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and others facing scrutiny by the court.
At a meeting at Camp David last month, Rubio said the ICC had “rendered itself illegitimate” by claiming jurisdiction over countries that are not members. Trump later said Rubio was seeking to “defend Bibi and various other parties”.
The US is not a party to the ICC and has long opposed the institution’s jurisdiction. Washington increased pressure on the court after the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 against Netanyahu and former Israeli defence chief Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes in the Gaza Strip.