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.
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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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A resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran is getting the blessing of the House of Representatives’ top Democrat.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., released a statement alongside other Democratic leaders Thursday announcing that they will force a vote on Massie’s resolution next week.
«As soon as Congress reconvenes next week, we will compel a vote of the full House of Representatives on the bipartisan Khanna-Massie War Powers resolution,» the joint statement read.
«This legislation would require the President to come to Congress to make the case for using military force against Iran. The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, seen most recently in the killing of thousands of protesters. However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East, without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our servicemembers and to escalation, is reckless.»
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is backing an effort by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna to force a vote on reining in President Donald Trump’s war powers. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images; Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
Jeffries and other top Democrats argued that any military force against Iran would be illegal without approval from Capitol Hill.
«We maintain that any such action would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress. Next week, every Member will have the opportunity to go on the record as to whether they support military action against Iran absent Congressional approval,» they said.
Massie cited Congress’ war powers in the Constitution in unveiling the legislation earlier this month alongside Khanna.
GOP MUTINY FORCES HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON TO DELAY VOTE ON KEY PIECE OF TRUMP’S AGENDA
«Congress must vote on war according to our Constitution,» he posted on X. «[Khanna] and I will be forcing that vote to happen in the House as soon as possible. I will vote to put America first, which means voting against more war in the Middle East.»
Buses that were burned during Iran’s protests, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 21, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
There are multiple mechanisms for forcing a vote over the will of House leadership. But the quickest route is called a «privileged resolution,» which mandates that a specific piece of legislation is considered by the full chamber within two legislative days of its introduction.
Before a vote on the measure itself, however, House GOP leaders can call for a preliminary vote to «table» the legislation or refer it to the relevant committee, both ways of effectively killing those resolutions.
It’s considered easier for lawmakers in the majority party to vote to kill resolutions on that procedural vote before they have to take a vote on the bill itself.
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., conduct a news conference after reviewing unredacted portions of the Jeffrey Epstein files, outside a Department of Justice office in NoMa on Feb. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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Privileged resolutions, which are traditionally seldom used, have gained popularity in recent years as Republicans grapple with a razor-thin House majority.
In this case, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford one GOP defection if all Democrats vote to proceed with blocking Trump’s war powers.
Because Massie is already likely to vote with the minority party, all remaining Republicans in the chamber must vote in lockstep to block the resolution.
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politics,house of representatives politics,iran
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An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure onto the side of the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas while leading a group of tourists.
Video of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, shows the man leaning toward a lower section of the pyramid’s outer casing while tourists stand nearby listening. He is then seen attempting to wipe the markings away with his hand, though remnants remain visible in the footage.
In a post on X, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the guide «damaged an antiquity by drawing on the outer casing of one of the pyramids» while explaining the site to tourists. Although the initial report mentioned the general Giza area.
The ministry said the investigation was launched after the video spread online, prompting an antiquities inspector to file a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station identifying the guide. Officials said the markings were later removed by specialists.
An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)
Authorities apprehended the suspect, who confessed to the act during questioning, according to the ministry.
«Legal measures have been taken,» the ministry added, noting that specialists have since removed the markings.
Local media outlets, citing the Interior Ministry’s investigation, identified the site as the Pyramid of Unas in the Saqqara necropolis south of Giza.
VANDALS HIT YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK WITH GRAFFITI ON BOULDER, MORE
An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)
B.C. for the Pharaoh Unas, is historically significant for containing the earliest Pyramid Texts. These religious inscriptions consist of more than 200 spells carved into the pyramid’s interior walls, forming what scholars consider the oldest known collection of funerary texts.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND 1,600-YEAR-OLD CHURCHES AND MURAL OF JESUS IN EGYPTIAN DESERT SETTLEMENT
An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure on the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara, officials said. (Egyptian Ministry of Interior)
The pyramid is located within the vast Saqqara necropolis, part of ancient Memphis – Egypt’s first capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains a sprawling complex of tombs, temples and pyramids.
Egypt has increased enforcement and preservation efforts at archaeological sites in recent years as officials seek to protect ancient monuments that attract millions of visitors annually.
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Under Egypt’s Antiquities Protection Law, damaging actions such as writing on or damaging archaeological sites can carry prison sentences and fines, with the exact penalties varying by offense.
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ancient egypt,heritage,historic sites,vandalism
INTERNACIONAL
Irán y Estados Unidos lograron “progresos” en una nueva ronda de diálogos en Ginebra para evitar una guerra
Irán y Estados Unidos lograron “progresos” en las conversaciones este jueves en Ginebra, afirmó el canciller iraní, Abbas Araqchi, tras las negociaciones indirectas que buscan evitar una guerra.
Estos diálogos, mediados por Omán, transcurren bajo la amenaza del mayor despliegue militar estadounidense en Oriente Medio en décadas.
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Irán insiste en que las negociaciones deben ceñirse al programa nuclear, pero Estados Unidos quiere abordar también el tema de los misiles y el apoyo que da Teherán a grupos armados en Oriente Medio.
Cómo fueron las conversaciones en Ginebra
Las dos delegaciones sostuvieron conversaciones durante la mañana en la residencia del embajador de Omán y mantuvieron otra ronda de reuniones que concluyó por la tarde.
“Hemos terminado el día con progresos significativos en la negociación entre Estados Unidos e Irán”, apuntó el canciller de Omán, Badr Albusaidi en la red X. Además dijo que ambos países sostendrán conversaciones a nivel técnico la próxima semana en Viena. El ministro de Exteriores de Omán, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (derecha), mantiene una reunión con el enviado especial de la Casa Blanca, Steve Witkoff (centro) y Jared Kushner como parte de una nueva ronda de negociaciones indirectas entre Estados Unidos e Irán, en Ginebra, Suiza, el 26 de febrero de 2026. (Ministerio de Exteriores de Omán vía AP)
El ministro iraní de Relaciones Exteriores, Abbas Araqchi, también informó de “progresos” tras el final de las reuniones y afirmó que se abordaron temas sobre el programa nuclear y el levantamiento de las sanciones.
El canciller indicó que las conversaciones a nivel técnico comenzarán el lunes en Viena y que habrá un nuevo ciclo de negociaciones en menos de una semana.
El argentino Rafael Grossi participó en las negociaciones
El director general del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), el argentino Rafael Grossi, participó en las negociaciones, informó una fuente cercana a las conversaciones.
El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump envió a Oriente Medio un dispositivo militar masivo que incluye un portaaviones, el USS Abraham Lincoln, nueve destructores y otros tres buques de combate.
Además movilizó por el Mediterráneo al portaviones más grande del mundo, el USS Gerald R. Ford.
“Soluciones nuevas y creativas”
El diario The Wall Street Journal reportó este jueves que el equipo negociador estadounidense busca exigir que Irán desmantele sus tres principales instalaciones nucleares y entregue todo el uranio enriquecido.
Más temprano, el canciller de Omán afirmó que los negociadores mostraron “una apertura sin precedentes a ideas y soluciones nuevas y creativas”.
El presidente iraní, Masud Pezeshkian, insistió antes de las negociaciones en que su país no busca dotarse de armas nucleares.
Leé también: Tensión entre Cuba y EE.UU.: qué hay detrás de la presunta “infiltración terrorista” que dejó cuatro muertos
“El tema de las negociaciones (…) se centra en la cuestión nuclear”, dijo el portavoz del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores iraní Esmail Baqai.
Añadió que su país presionará para que levanten las sanciones a las que se ve sometido y reiterará su derecho “al uso pacífico de la energía nuclear”.
Para el jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense, Marco Rubio, esto es “un gran problema”. “Tenemos que hablar de otros temas además del programa nuclear”, advirtió.
Irán ha “desarrollado misiles que pueden amenazar a Europa y nuestras bases” militares y quiere diseñar otros aún más poderosos, capaces de “alcanzar pronto a Estados Unidos”, aseguró el martes el presidente Trump en su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión.
Irán, que afirma que el alcance máximo de sus misiles es de 2.000 km, tachó de “mentiras” estas afirmaciones. Irán dispone de un amplio arsenal, en particular los Shahab-3, que pueden alcanzar a Israel, su enemigo jurado, y a algunos países de Europa del Este.
(Con información de AFP)
Irán, Estados Unidos, nuclear, Donald Trump
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