WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Mike Garcia (CA-27) voted in favor of H.R. 8282, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (ICCA), which passed the House. This bill would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and any foreign actor who supports their effort to arrest, detain, or prosecute protected persons of the United States and its allies.

In May, the ICC filed applications for arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister as they fight for their country’s very survival against barbaric terrorists. The ICCA is a robust response to protect America and our allies by deterring the ICC from proceeding with these illegitimate cases where they have no jurisdiction.

“I’m proud to support this strong response to the ICC’s complete moral failure,” said Rep. Garcia. “On one side of this war are Israel’s democratic leaders, who are fighting to reclaim hostages – including American hostages – and root out terrorists in Gaza. On the other side is Hamas, which began this war with its mass murder, rape, and kidnapping on October 7, and whose leaders pledge to do it ‘again and again.’

“This is a clear case of ‘good versus evil,’ and the ICC requesting arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders is a historically grotesque false equivalence. President Biden is right to call the ICC’s action ‘outrageous,’ but this demands more than tough words. Today, the People’s House took tough action to support our greatest ally.”

If the ICC is engaging in any attempt to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute an American citizen or citizen of a partner country that is not party to the ICC, the ICCA:

• Requires the president to impose property-blocking and visa sanctions on any foreign person found to be:
  • Directly engaged in or aiding the ICC case;
  • Assisting, sponsoring, or providing support for the ICC case;
  • Owned, controlled by, or acting on behalf of a person engaged in or aiding the case;
• Requires the president to impose sanctions on immediate family members of those subject to sanctions for their role in the ICC case; and 
• Rescinds any current U.S. funding for the ICC and prohibits any future U.S. funding for the ICC.