INTERNACIONAL
Trump urged to review UN immunity, lax visa rules amid national security concerns
A 1947 agreement outlining obligations as host of the United Nations continues to give employees and their family members relatively unfettered access to the U.S.
At a time of increased national security fears and immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, experts are urging a re-examination of the host nation agreement with an eye to the functional immunity granted to U.N. staff and the limited vetting given to those with U.N. visas.
«The United States appears to have taken a relaxed view of the individuals entering the country associated with the U.N., either as employees or as representatives of various country missions. And yet we know that U.N. employees have had, and continue to have, close, direct relationships with terrorist organizations, like UNRWA and Hamas,» Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.
UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT’ THE INTERNATIONAL ORG
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister for foreign affairs, talks with Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, April 24, 2023. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Bayefsky said there is «a disconnect between the welcome routine and the significant harm to American interests. Hosting the U.N. does not require the host country to facilitate or endure threats to its national security.»
The federal government grants G visas to employees, spouses and children of international organizations, including the U.N., who reside in, or are visiting, the U.S. According to the State Department’s website, «if you are entitled to a G visa, under U.S. visa law, you must receive a G visa. The exceptions to this rule are extremely limited.» The Department of State also explains that «Embassies and consulates generally do not require an interview for those applying for G-1 – 4 and NATO-1 – 6 visas, although a consular officer can request an interview.»
Hugh Dugan, a senior advisor to 11 U.S. former ambassadors to the U.N., told Fox News Digital that it «appears to me that the issuance of the G visas for [U.N. employees] is a relatively rubber stamp exercise.» While not requiring interviews of personnel has «become a matter of convenience, frankly, we should always be able to assess a threat to our country.»’
Dugan, a former National Security Council special assistant to the president and senior director for international organization affairs, said nations like Russia and China are only allowed to travel a certain distance from U.N. headquarters. «We are mindful of our adversaries’ activities and presence here, but the door is open to participate in the U.N. and the host country agreement makes that possible so that no country would be barred because of a certain political atmosphere or issue that might be brewing between us and them.»
Former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi displays the photo of Gen. Kasim Soleimani at the United Nations. (Peter Aitken for Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital asked the State Department whether it requires interviews for staff from adversarial member states, including Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, North Korea, Iran and China, but received no response. A State Department spokesperson reiterated that consular officers «have full authority to require an in-person interview for any reason.»
Peter Gallo, formerly an investigator with the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), told Fox News Digital that he is particularly concerned about the functional immunity granted to U.N. staff participating in activities related to their employment. Gallo explained that «U.S. legal system has come to accept that pretty much it’s a blanket coverage.» He added that «immunity breeds impunity.»
REPUBLICANS SEEK TO BLOCK THE REAPPOINTMENT OF UN OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF ANTISEMITISM
Gallo claimed that there is an epidemic of sexual offenses and misconduct among U.N. staff. He cited an incident in which a U.N. employee outside the U.S. sexually harassed «a young female in his department.» Gallo said it took two years after receipt of the investigation report for an investigation to be completed, which resulted in the demotion of the offending employee. Gallo said the employee who was harassed, and her harasser remained in the same organization.
Gallo said that if employees take part in misconduct while based at U.N. headquarters, the U.S. government should be able to examine cases and determine whether staff should retain their G visas.
Dugan said that if U.N. personnel «knew that [immunity] could be lifted at any time by us… they might start behaving a lot differently.»
China’s Vice President Han Zheng addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 21, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
In response to questions about whether U.N. staff have been accused of sexual misconduct in the U.S., or whether U.N. staff who engaged in misconduct have had their G visas revoked, a State Department spokesperson explained the department «generally does not provide» revocation statistics. They also said that «all visa applicants, no matter the visa type and where they are located, are continuously vetted. Security vetting runs from the time of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards during the validity period of every issued visa, to ensure the individual remains eligible to travel to the United States.»
The spokesperson said officials of the U.N. «are expected to respect applicable laws of the United States, including criminal laws. Failure to do so may constitute an abuse of privileges of residence.» They added that this «applies for those who hold diplomatic immunity for their positions as well.»
Among staff who have raised internal alarm bells is U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, who traveled to the U.S. in 2024 to deliver a report before the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Albanese, whose antisemitism has been condemned widely by senior U.S. diplomats and the State Department, was allowed to tour multiple U.S. college campuses while in the U.S.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In addition to qualifying for «rubber stamp» G visas, staff of international organizations like the United Nations can qualify for green cards if they have spent half of at least seven years of employment inside the U.S., or have been in the U.S. for a combined total of 15 years prior to retirement.
INTERNACIONAL
Trump trounces Biden energy records in just months as admin celebrates 1 year of ‘historic gains’: data
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: The White House on Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council by drawing a sharp contrast with the Biden-era, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum citing higher production and lower gas prices as proof of «real savings» for Americans.
«Under the President’s leadership and through the Council’s relentless execution, we have delivered historic gains in energy production, affordability, and security,» Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, told Fox News Digital.
«Gasoline prices have fallen to some of the lowest levels in years, permitting has been streamlined, and American energy exports are surging,» he added. «These achievements are not abstract, they mean real savings for families, farmers, and small businesses, and they are strengthening our position on the world stage.»
Trump signed an executive order creating the National Energy Dominance Council on Feb. 14, 2025, which was tasked with cutting red tape and coordinating agencies to boost U.S. energy production, speed up permitting approvals, expand exports and deliver a national «energy dominance» strategy.
TRUMP DIRECTS MILITARY TO STRIKE NEW DEALS WITH COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS: ‘GOING TO BE BUYING A LOT OF COAL’
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, left, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, right. (Costas Baltas/Getty Images)
A year later, the administration pointed to a series of metrics showing the U.S. has accelerated past Biden-era data on production — while driving down energy costs that ripple through household budgets, from gas and heating to shipping and groceries.
U.S. crude oil production, for example, reached a record 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025, with the White House calling it the highest output of any country in the world. In comparison, the Biden administration took four years for production to climb from 11.3 million to 13.2 million barrels per day, a figure «Trump blew past in months,» according to the White House.
On the natural gas production front, the administration said the U.S. produced 110.1 billion cubic feet per day in November 2025, the highest level recorded since federal tracking began in 1973. All in, production is about 8% above the Biden-era average, and 4% above the previous record for U.S. natural gas production, according to the data.
TRUMP ADMIN TO REPEAL OBAMA-ERA GREENHOUSE GAS FINDING IN LARGE-SCALE DEREGULATION
While the U.S. has also widened its lead as the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, with average LNG exports rising to 15 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, up from 11 under the Biden administration.
Then-President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with then-President Joe Biden at Trump’s inauguration in the Capitol Rotunda Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
«As we mark this anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing American Energy Dominance and ensuring that our nation’s energy abundance continues to power prosperity, security, and freedom for generations to come,» Burgum added in a comment to Fox News Digital.
TRUMP TO HOST ‘CLEAN BEAUTIFUL COAL’ EVENT, CALLS IT AMERICA’S MOST RELIABLE ENERGY
Lowering prices through an expanded energy grid was crucial to the executive order establishing the council itself, calling for «reliable and affordable energy production to drive down inflation, grow our economy, create good-paying jobs.»
Energy has emerged as a key piece of the administration’s puzzle of addressing affordability concerns stemming from the Biden era when inflation hit a 40-year-high, as cheaper energy typically ripples through the economy by cutting transportation and shipping costs and lowering the power bills factories pay to make everything from groceries to building materials.
A sticker of President Joe Biden is placed on a gas pump at an Exxon Station on March 9, 2022, in Lakewood, Colorado. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The White House cast cheaper gas as a kitchen-table win this year, touting pump prices are about $2.90 a gallon, which is 16% below the Biden-era average and a roughly 42% drop from the $5.02 peak in June 2022. The administration celebrated that affordable energy benefits Americans from working families and rural communities, to small businesses and farmers who typically frequently drive farther for gas or those on a budget.
Crude oil prices have fallen by roughly 18% in 2025, dropping to $65 a barrel from the $79 Biden-era average, according to the data.
Environmental groups have meanwhile slammed Trump’s «energy dominance» push as a fossil-fuel expansion that undercuts climate goals and could increase pollution and impacts on public lands and communities.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«One year ago, President Donald J. Trump launched the National Energy Dominance Council to restore America’s Energy Dominance and make life more affordable for hardworking families. Today, the results speak for themselves,» Burgum said of the data.
energy in america,energy,donald trump,white house,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos reclama una Europa fuerte pero subordinada a la visión y liderazgo de Donald Trump
Marco Rubio no es JD Vance ni Donald Trump. Rubio no insulta al hablar y no desvaría. Rubio mantiene un decoro diplomático en público que ya es poco habitual en la Administración Trump. El discurso del jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense este sábado en la Conferencia de Seguridad de Múnich se esperaba con expectativas después de que el año pasado el vicepresidente JD Vance se dedicara a insultar a los dirigentes europeos y a defender a partidos políticos neofascistas.
Pero el guante de seda de Rubio esconde el mismo puño de acero. Su discurso, conciliador en las formas, fue prácticamente igual en el fondo e ideológicamente muy alejado del consenso europeo hasta el punto de que Rubio parece extrañar una suerte de imperialismo occidental que Europa dejó atrás con las guerras mundiales hace casi un siglo.
Rubio empezó conciliando: “No buscamos separarnos, sino revitalizar una vieja amistad y renovar la mayor civilización de la historia humana”. Pero Rubio choca de frente con los europeos. Para ellos, el viejo orden mundial que dan por muerto a su pesar, como hizo el viernes el alemán Friedrich Merz, es un orden mundial de reglas y multilateralismo, el orden mundial de los organismos de Naciones Unidas. Rubio habla de un orden “civilizatorio” compatible por igual con democracias y con dictaduras.
Rubio parece tratar a los europeos como a niños a los que debe devolver al camino de la rectitud. Su mensaje les dice que se equivocan luchando contra la crisis climática y les repite el argumento (falso en los datos) de las extremas derechas de que están permitiendo que se reemplace a la población europea blanca y cristiana por poblaciones árabes y negras de credo musulmán: “La migración masiva no es ni fue algo de escasas consecuencias, ya que está transformando y desestabilizando sociedades en todo Occidente”.
Sin migraciones (y los datos no justifican hablar de masivas porque en Europa no entra al año ni el equivalente al 0,5% de la población europea) Europa ya estaría perdiendo población. “En la búsqueda de un mundo sin fronteras, abrimos nuestras puertas a una ola de migración masiva sin precedentes (en realidad en Europa y en Estados Unidos hubo movimientos migratorios mucho mayores en el siglo XIX y principios del XX) que amenaza la cohesión de nuestras sociedades, la continuidad de nuestra cultura y el futuro de nuestros pueblos”.
La transición energética europea parece molestar especialmente en Washington, a pesar de que son los países que más rápido van en el cambio a las renovables (los escandinavos o España) los que más barata tienen la electricidad, tanto industrial como para las familias. Rubio dijo que “para apaciguar el culto al clima (como si fuera una realidad falsa la crisis climática), nos hemos impuesto políticas energéticas que empobrecen a nuestra gente”.
El discurso de Rubio es más sofisticado que los de Donald Trump y JD Vance, pero es en el fondo el mismo discurso. No es Churchill ni Barack Obama, pero el nivel de los últimos discursos estadounidenses era tal que Rubio parece un estadista. Lo dice de otras formas, pero dice lo mismo: Estados Unidos seguirá apoyando a las extremas derechas europeas y trabajando para debilitar a la Unión Europea, a la que considera origen de todos los males.
Rubio habla de Occidente, pero se refiere a Europa cuando dice que tras las guerras mundiales se fue hacia una “peligrosa ilusión” y hacia “un orden global basado en reglas que reemplazarían al interés nacional y que viviríamos en un mundo sin fronteras, donde todos se convertirían en ciudadanos del mundo. Esta fue una idea absurda”.
Es precisamente la idea en la base de la construcción política de la Unión Europea. Eliminar fronteras, compartir moneda y algunas Fuerzas Armadas, elementos esenciales de soberanía, y compartir ciudadanía para hacer imposible otra guerra europea.
La bronca siguió: “Subcontratamos cada vez más nuestra soberanía a instituciones internacionales, mientras muchas naciones invirtieron en enormes estados de bienestar a costa de su capacidad de defensa”.
El mensaje es: Europa debe ser nuestra aliada, pero según los términos que dicte el presidente Trump. Estados Unidos seguirá comprometido con la OTAN, pero según cómo dicte el presidente Trump. Los intereses e ideas de los europeos no tienen ninguna importancia en la nueva relación que propone Rubio en Múnich. El secretario de Estado fue cristalino al explicarlo: “Con el presidente Trump, Estados Unidos asumirá una vez más la tarea de renovación y restauración, y aunque estamos preparados, si es necesario, para hacerlo solos, es nuestra preferencia y es nuestra esperanza hacerlo con ustedes, nuestros amigos aquí en Europa”.
Por primera vez en un siglo, una Administración estadounidense no dice que le une a Europa la defensa de los valores liberales de la democracia y los derechos humanos, sino “una historia compartida, fue cristiana, cultura, herencia, idioma, ascendencia y los sacrificios que nuestros antepasados hicieron juntos por la civilización común de la que hemos heredado”.
Europa debe ser nuestra aliada, repite Rubio, pero deja claro que lo será al dictado de Donald Trump, no como una relación entre iguales.
Rubio cerró criticando a quienes criticaron por ilegal la intervención en Venezuela porque violaba la legalidad internacional: “Esta es la vía en la que el presidente Trump y Estados Unidos se han embarcado. Es la vía a la que pedimos que los europeos se unan”. Vasallos, no aliados.
INTERNACIONAL
Rubio blasts ‘world without borders’ fantasy, warns mass migration threatens Western civilization
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday blasted the idea of a «world without borders,» warning European leaders that unchecked mass migration is destabilizing Western civilization and eroding national sovereignty.
Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, Rubio criticized the post-Cold War belief that the world had reached the «end of history» — an era in which liberal democracy would spread, and national borders would fade — calling it a «dangerous delusion.»
«This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature, and it ignored the lessons of over 5000 years of recorded human history, and it has cost us dearly,» Rubio said.
Rubio stressed that border security is not rooted in exclusion, but in responsibility.
TRUMP PLEDGES TO REASSERT MONROE DOCTRINE TO RESTORE AMERICAN POWER
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a keynote speech at the 62nd Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
«We must also gain control of our national borders, controlling who and how many people enter our countries,» he said. «This is not an expression of xenophobia. It is not hate. It is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.»
Failing to do so, Rubio warned, is «not just an abdication of one of our most basic duties owed to our people — it is an urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and the survival of our civilization itself.»
The U.S. top diplomat added that lax enforcement threatens «the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.»
Rubio’s remarks come amid mounting political tensions in both Europe and the U.S. over migration, asylum policy and border security.
RUBIO STEPS INTO MUNICH SPOTLIGHT AS TRUMP LEANS ON HIM TO CARRY VANCE’S POPULIST MESSAGE ABROAD
Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens to German diplomat and Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, 2026, in Munich, Germany. (Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Outlining America’s direction under President Donald Trump, Rubio said the U.S. seeks to rebuild its alliance with Europe on stronger footing.
«We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength,» he said. «This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it.»
«We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West’s managed decline,» Rubio said. «We do not seek to separate, but to revitalize an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.»
RUBIO WARNS NATO ALLIES US IS ‘NOT SIMPLY FOCUSED ON EUROPE,’ DOESN’T HAVE UNLIMITED RESOURCES
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks, next to Munich Security Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2026. (Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS)
The secretary said the U.S. seeks an alliance «ready to defend our people, to safeguard our interests, and to preserve the freedom of action that allows us to shape our own destiny, not one that exists to operate a global welfare state and atone for the purported sins of past generations.»
Rubio reminded attendees that America’s ties to Europe stretch back centuries, saying the U.S. will remain permanently linked to the continent.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«What we have inherited together is something that is unique and distinctive and irreplaceable,» Rubio said. «Acting together in this way, we will not just help recover a sane foreign policy, it will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. It will restore a place in the world, and in so doing, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that today menace both America and Europe alike.»
Marco Rubio could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
world,marco rubio,world politics,europe,immigration
La CGT se reunirá este lunes para definir si va o no a un paro general contra la reforma laboral
Trump trounces Biden energy records in just months as admin celebrates 1 year of ‘historic gains’: data
Plazo fijo: cuánto paga cada banco por depósitos de $1 millón
Canales para ver el Independiente vs. Lanús por el Torneo Apertura
Estados Unidos reclama una Europa fuerte pero subordinada a la visión y liderazgo de Donald Trump
Rubio blasts ‘world without borders’ fantasy, warns mass migration threatens Western civilization
Wanda Nara contó la verdad del escándalo del cumpleaños de la hija de la China Suárez: «Mis hijas no fueron porque ella es…»
A quién afecta la Reforma laboral: estos son los puntos clave del proyecto de Milei
El emotivo homenaje a Luis Brandoni que hizo romper en llanto al espectáculo argentino
Jornada financiera: el dólar cayó a un mínimo en casi tres meses y subieron las acciones argentinas en Wall Street
POLITICA2 días agoA quién afecta la Reforma laboral: estos son los puntos clave del proyecto de Milei
- POLITICA2 días ago
Reforma laboral: la modificación sobre accidentes o enfermedades ajenas al trabajo
- ECONOMIA2 días ago
Cayeron 20% las ventas de automóviles en China y el régimen impone medidas para regular el mercado
