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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.
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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.»
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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.
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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.
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El Gran Bazar, en Teherán, este jueves: el país intenta retomar el ritmo, luego de dos semanas de protestas violentas. Foto: REUTERS La represión más feroz en décadas
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RFK Jr: Dr Oz says Trump has ‘highest testosterone level’ he’s seen in a man older than 70
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President Donald Trump has the highest testosterone levels of any man older than the age of 70 that Dr. Mehmet Oz has ever seen, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recounted during a podcast interview providing a handful of updates on the president’s health.
«He’s got — he’s in incredible health,» Kennedy said on Katie Miller’s podcast Tuesday. «Dr. Oz looked at his medical records and said he’s got the highest testosterone level that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70 years old.»
«I know the president will be happy that I’ll repeat that,» Kennedy quipped.
Oz serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
BROOKE ROLLINS, ROBERT KENNEDY JR: NEW DIETARY PLAN RECOMMENDS REAL FOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS
Kennedy joined Miller, who is the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, as the media and Democrats continue fanning the flames of concern surrounding Trump’s health, citing bruises on Trump’s hands, swollen legs and allegations he has fallen asleep during public events. The White House has fiercely pushed back against the claims, citing Trump’s packed daily schedule and medical reports that have found the president in normal and «exceptional health.»
President Donald Trump repeatedly has denied claims there is cause for concern over his age and health, citing multiple health evaluations that do not show abnormalities. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Kennedy has long cast himself as a public-health advocate, and he repeatedly has urged Americans to eat «real,» minimally processed foods, steering people away from ultra-processed packaged snacks and toward meals built around fruits, vegetables and other nutrient-dense staples.
Trump has a long and well-established history of enjoying fast-food, notably McDonald’s meals, and frequently downs Diet Coke — putting him at odds with his Cabinet official’s health calls.
Kennedy celebrated that despite Trump «pumping himself full of poison all day long,» he has the «constitution of a deity.»
«He eats really bad food, which is McDonald’s, and candy and Diet Coke. But he drinks the Diet Coke at all times,» Kennedy said. «I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is. … He says that the only time that he eats the junk food is when he’s on the road and he wants to eat food from big corporations.»
While Trump is known for fast food snacking and cracking open a Diet Coke, he has famously steered clear of alcohol throughout his life.
The White House backed Kennedy’s remarks when approached for additional comment on Trump’s health Thursday morning.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a press briefing with, from left, Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
«Secretary Kennedy is right: as his golf championships and flawless physical report results indicate, President Trump has the constitution and energy levels most young people could only dream of having,» White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox Digital.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for additional comment on Oz’s review of Trump’s health records Thursday morning.
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Democrats and liberal media outlets increasingly have questioned Trump’s fitness in recent months, citing his 79 years of age, bruising on his hands and reports of swollen ankles. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a «benign and common condition» for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to «frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.»
Trump has received two medical check-ups since his inauguration nearly a year ago, received a CT scan — which originally was reported as the president receiving an MRI — as well as celebrating that he has «aced» a series of cognitive tests, including celebrating new results earlier in January.
President Donald Trump has the highest testosterone levels of any man older than the age of 70 that Dr. Mehmet Oz has ever seen, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recounted. (Mandl Ngan/AFP)
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«The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,» Trump posted to Truth Social Jan 2.
The heightened focus on President Donald Trump’s health follows the media overwhelmingly downplaying concern over former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity until his final year in office. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
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The heightened focus on Trump’s health follows the media overwhelmingly downplaying concern over former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity until his final year in office.
Biden ultimately dropped out of his 2024 re-election effort to hold control of the Executive Branch in July of that year, amid pressure from longtime Democrat allies and media pundits that he bow out of the race and pass the proverbial torch to a younger generation.
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Troops from Europe deploy to Greenland in rapid 2-day mission as Trump eyes US takeover
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Troops from several European countries deployed to Greenland and are on the ground there Thursday for a quick two-day mission to bolster the territory’s defenses.
France, Germany, Sweden and Norway are participating in the exercise, Fox News has learned. Leaders say the mission is meant to demonstrate they can deploy military assets «quickly.»
The development comes as the Trump administration is pushing to acquire the Danish territory. Germany deployed a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel, France sent 15 mountain specialists and Sweden, Norway and Britain sent three, two and one officers, respectively, according to Reuters.
«The geopolitical tensions have spread to the Arctic. The Government of Greenland, and the Danish Ministry of Defense have therefore decided to continue the Danish Armed Forces’ increased exercise activity in Greenland, in close cooperation with NATO allies,» the Danish Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday.
«From today, there will be an expanded military presence in and around Greenland — in close cooperation with NATO allies. The purpose is to train the ability to operate under the unique Arctic conditions and to strengthen the alliance’s footprint in the Arctic, benefiting both European and transatlantic security,» it added.
DENMARK IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AS US MAKES AMBITIOUS APPEAL TO GREENLAND
An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)
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«As part of the increased presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, the Danish Armed Forces are, from today, deploying capabilities and units related to the exercise activities. In the period ahead, this will result in an increased military presence in and around Greenland, comprising aircraft, vessels and soldiers, including from NATO allies,» the Danish Ministry of Defense also said.
It said the exercise activities in 2026 «could include guarding critical infrastructure, providing assistance to local authorities in Greenland, including the police, receiving allied troops, deploying fighter aircraft in and around Greenland, and conducting naval operations.»
People walk in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. On the right is President Donald Trump. (Evgeniy Maloletka/Evan Vucci/AP)
«Some officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today,» Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X on Wednesday. «They are part of a group from several allied countries. Together they will prepare upcoming steps within the framework of the Danish exercise Operation Arctic Endurance. It is at the request of Denmark that Sweden is sending personnel from the Armed Forces.»
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Reuters on Thursday that, «The American ambition to take over Greenland is intact.»
«That is of course serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent this scenario becoming a reality,» he added.
A fisherman carries a bucket onto his boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
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Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday.
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