Mexico-Canada Refuse to Withdraw from ICC Despite US Pressure

DOK via Wikimedia Commons

Mexico and Canada reaffirmed that they would remain members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite the United States' pressure on the international judicial institution.

The statement was made by the senior diplomats of the two countries on Friday (17/7), a few days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a campaign to gradually weaken the ICC.

Rubio accused the ICC of abusing its authority and threatening the interests of the United States and the international community.

"Of course Mexico will continue to participate in all multilateral bodies that we participate in," Mexico's Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said at a joint press conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Saturday, July 18.

Velasco said Mexico played a role in the formation of the existing multilateral system and still had faith in the mechanism.

However, he assessed that a number of international institutions, including the United Nations (UN), still needed reforms to curb the increase in spending.

Responding to the same question, Anand confirmed that Canada did not plan to leave the ICC.

He said the issue related to the court should not be politicized and reminded Canada was one of the founding countries of the ICC.

In February 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC for the institution's actions against the United States and its allies, including Israel.

The sanctions include the freezing of assets, the blocking of property, and a ban on entry into the United States for ICC officials and their family members.

Meanwhile, Russia also described the ICC by calling the institution one of the instruments used to maintain neocolonial practices and protect Western leaders from legal accountability.