Official portrait of Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio

Secretary of State

Confirmed as Secretary of State in January 2025. Repeatedly invoked emergency authorities to bypass congressional review of arms sales totaling $23+ billion to Gulf states and Israel. Sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Certified third-country deportation agreements with El Salvador, Rwanda, and others. Ordered USAID dismantlement.

Linked Incidents

12 Total incidents
3 War Crime / Crime Against Humanity
8 Serious Rights Violation
1 Major Abuse of Power
2 probable 3 potential 7 enabling
Updated March 25, 2026 Complicity in Genocide
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

US Arms Transfers to Israel During ICJ Genocide Proceedings

Continued US arms transfers to Israel during ICJ genocide proceedings, including emergency bypasses of Congressional review, combined with active diplomatic defense of Israel at the ICJ, raising …

  • Since October 2023, the US has delivered 90,000 tons of arms to Israel on 800 transport planes and 140 ships, continuing throughout ICJ …
  • The Trump administration approved 12,000+ thousand-pound bombs via emergency authority in 2026, bypassing Congressional review of the …
Sources
7
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 26, 2026 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

Emergency Arms Sales to Gulf States: $23 Billion Bypassing Congressional Review

Using emergency waivers under the Arms Export Control Act, the administration has bypassed Congress to approve massive arms sales to Gulf states, including to the UAE despite documented evidence of …

  • The Trump administration invoked wartime emergency powers to force through more than $23 billion in arms sales to the UAE, Kuwait, and …
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an emergency waiver to bypass the standard 30-day congressional review period, citing the Iran war as …
Sources
12
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 26, 2026 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

America First Arms Transfer Strategy: Human Rights Safeguards Removed From Weapons Exports

An executive order stripped human rights safeguards from the US arms transfer framework, replacing decades of bipartisan policy with a commerce-first approach. The subsequent emergency bypass of …

  • Executive Order 14383, signed February 6, 2026, establishes the 'America First Arms Transfer Strategy,' which reorders US arms export …
  • The EO makes no mention of human rights, international humanitarian law, or civilian protection — a stark departure from all previous …
Sources
6
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated January 15, 2026 Rule of Law
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Active litigation

Executive Order Sanctioning International Criminal Court Officials

The administration imposed escalating sanctions on ICC officials -- including judges and prosecutors -- for investigating US citizens and allies, obstructing international criminal accountability and …

  • EO 14203 authorized visa restrictions and financial penalties against ICC officials investigating US citizens or allies, specifically …
  • Sanctions were progressively expanded from prosecutor Karim Khan to four ICC judges and eventually 11 officials by December 2025.
Sources
6
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 26, 2026 Rule of Law
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

ICC Immunity Demands: Ultimatum to Amend Rome Statute and Exempt Americans from War Crimes Prosecution

A systematic campaign to destroy the International Criminal Court's ability to hold Americans accountable for war crimes, combining unprecedented sanctions on judges with demands to rewrite the Rome …

  • On February 6, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14203 imposing sanctions on the ICC, blocking property of the Chief Prosecutor …
  • The administration demanded three conditions: the ICC must guarantee it will not investigate Trump or his top officials, drop investigations …
Sources
15
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated August 8, 2025 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Official executive action

Sanctions Against UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine

The United States sanctioned a UN human rights investigator for performing the duties of her mandate, in what UN experts described as an unprecedented threat to the international human rights system.

  • Francesca Albanese was sanctioned under EO 14203 for engaging with the ICC in its investigation of Israel.
  • Sanctions include asset freezes, prohibition on donations and transfers, and suspension of U.S. entry.
Sources
9
Documents
1
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Official executive action

Systematic Dismantlement of USAID and Global Humanitarian Consequences

Systematic destruction of the US Agency for International Development resulted in termination of lifesaving programs across the developing world, with The Lancet projecting 9.4 million additional …

  • The Lancet projects 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030 as a direct result of the USAID dismantlement, making this potentially the single …
  • 23 million children lost access to education and 95 million people lost access to basic healthcare when USAID programs were terminated.
Sources
4
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
Major Abuse of Power Ongoing Official executive action

US Withdrawal from the World Health Organization — Dismantling Global Pandemic Preparedness

The US withdrew from the WHO effective January 2026, removing the organization's largest funder and dismantling pandemic preparedness infrastructure. The WHO announced plans to cut 2,300 jobs — 25% of …

  • Trump signed Executive Order 14155 on January 20, 2025, initiating US withdrawal from the WHO. The withdrawal became effective on January …
  • The US was the WHO's largest single funder, responsible for 22% of mandatory contributions during 2024-2025. The WHO's most recent two-year …
Sources
8
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated June 20, 2025 Civil Rights
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Active litigation

Deportation Proceedings Against Mahmoud Khalil for Pro-Palestine Protest Activity

A Columbia graduate student with a green card was arrested by ICE for his role in Gaza solidarity protests and ordered deported on the novel grounds that his speech posed 'adverse foreign policy …

  • Khalil was a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) arrested from his Columbia University campus apartment by ICE.
  • When ICE learned he held a green card rather than a student visa, agents said that status would be revoked too.
Sources
4
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation to Torture
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

Secret $6 Million Contract to Outsource Detention to El Salvador's CECOT

A secret $6 million contract enabled the US to outsource detention to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison, where HRW documented systematic torture. The unreleased agreement created an unprecedented …

  • The US paid $6 million to El Salvador to detain deportees at CECOT, a mega-prison where HRW documented systematic torture including sexual …
  • The agreement was negotiated during Secretary Rubio's February 2025 visit to El Salvador and finalized as a written deal that has never been …
Sources
8
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation & Immigration
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Judicial finding

Third-Country Deportations to Rwanda, Ghana, and South Sudan

The US paid Rwanda, Ghana, Eswatini, and South Sudan to accept deportees who are not their nationals, in deals a federal judge ruled unconstitutional. HRW called the expulsion agreements violations of …

  • Rwanda agreed to accept up to 250 deportees from the US under a deal involving approximately $7.5 million in US financial support. Eswatini …
  • US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled the third-country deportation policy violates federal immigration law and migrants' constitutional …
Sources
7
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 26, 2026 Deportation to Torture
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

Secretive $7.5 Million Deal Deports 29 People to Equatorial Guinea's Authoritarian Regime

A secret agreement with one of the world's most repressive regimes has stranded 29 deportees in Equatorial Guinea, where they face indefinite detention without counsel or forced deportation to the …

  • The Trump administration paid Equatorial Guinea $7.5 million in a secretive deal to accept 29 deportees from the United States, as part of a …
  • The 29 deportees were sent on two flights — November 24, 2025 and January 22, 2026 — and came from nine countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, …
Sources
7
Documents
0
Updates
0