February Blog: The Trump Administration, Immigration, & Tariffs
After President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, one of his immediate actions was to continue an immigration crackdown that he had begun during his first term. However, statistics show that the Trump administration is currently on pace to arrest fewer people in Trump’s first month in office than the Biden Administration did in his last month in office. While in November, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alongside US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested more than 21,000 people under the Biden Administration, ICE and CBP under the Trump Administration have only arrested 14,000 people in Trump’s first three weeks in office.
These statistics raise the question: why would the Trump Administration place such a large focus on barring immigration if it would go on to arrest fewer people than the Biden Administration? One of the main answers is tariffs. According to the White House’s official website, “The extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)”. This state of emergency thus allows the Trump Administration to issue superfluous tariffs on imports from other countries, such as a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China.
As expected, the increased tariffs have caused several conflicts with several nations. Although the Trump Administration states that these tariffs not only will support the nation in its state of emergency but also take steps to fulfill a new “Fair and Reciprocal” Trade Plan, countries targeted by the new policies continue to voice their strong opposition to the higher tariffs. If no conciliatory action is taken soon, these tariffs could escalate into a complete embargo between the US and another country, stifling the economies of both countries.
The most obvious solution to mollify the growing tensions caused by tariffs would be to rescind the “state of emergency” in the United States, which would in turn end the increased tariffs However, as this most likely will not occur under the Trump Administration, individual businesses within the United States can try to prepare for the incoming hits to the economy by applying for case-specific exemptions on tariffs and adjusting pricing and cost structures. Furthermore, if enough businesses were to collaborate to vie for a pause or end the tariffs, the Trump Administration would be compelled to give their movement some recognition and reconciliation. This solution of collective action, as supported by Mr. Chemerinsky in his Heinz Ethics Speech, could be the best course to buttress businesses as they continue into an unstable future of tariffs.
References/Bibliography
1: Contreras, Russell, and Brittany Gibson. “Scoop: Trump’s Immigration Arrests Appear to Lag Biden’s.” Axios News. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/14/trump-biden-immigration-arrests-ice-border.
2: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Imposes Tariffs on Imports from Canada, Mexico and China.” The White House, February 2, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/.
3: Pillsbury Global Trade & Sanctions Law Team. “Trump Administration Announces Sweeping Tariffs under ‘Fair and Reciprocal Plan.’” Global Trade & Sanctions Law, February 14, 2025. https://www.globaltradeandsanctionslaw.com/trump-sweeping-tariffs-fair-reciprocal-plan/.
March Blog: The Trump Administration & Tariffs (Cont.)
Since February, the increased tariffs issued by the Trump Administration on Canada, the European Union, and Mexico have compelled other countries to respond by implementing increased tariffs on goods from the United States. For example, Canada, the largest supplier of steel and aluminum to the US, announced a plan to place a similar 25% tariff on steel products while also increasing tariffs on a variety of other commodities such as computers, sports equipment, and iron cast products. Additionally, the European Union has placed increased tariffs on beef, poultry, peanut butter, and motorcycles. Although the tariffs placed on these commodities alone might seem trivial to the health of the American economy, their implications on the future of both global trade and international relationships are frightening.
According to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the new tariffs have put jobs at stake and “are bad for business but worse for consumers.” If the new tariffs are sustained, businesses will have no choice but to raise prices, threatening to place the consumers and citizens of each nation at an economic disadvantage. According to a Brookings article, these tariffs would also disproportionately affect the countries of Canada and Mexico, as 78% and 83% (respectively) of their exports go to the United States, whereas only a third of the United States’ exports go to Canada and Mexico. Consequently, the people of Canada and Mexico might feel that an equal tariff is not sufficient to respond to the Trump administration’s tariffs, prompting an even more dramatic response from foreign governments.
To this day, the Trump Administration still validates these tariffs by saying they are “safeguarding the nation.” However, as Dr. Arend stated in his visit to Poly, the ramifications of these tariffs have already taken effect and will only continue to worsen unless conciliatory action is taken soon. It is imperative that through quick collective action, the American people make the Trump Administration aware of their shortcomings and prevent further damage to both the global economy and international relations.
References/Bibliography
1: Cook, Lorne, and David Mchugh. “The EU Retaliates against Trump’s Trade Moves and Slaps Tariffs on Produce from Republican States.” AP News, March 12, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/trump-eu-tariffs-countermeasures-806a3b9bcc9cd4e45817e672d95f0070.
2: Brooks, Robin, Elena Patel Adam Looney, Judy Marks, and Liz Shuler. “Trump’s 25% Tariffs on Canada and Mexico Will Be a Blow to All 3 Economies.” Brookings, February 5, 2025. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/trumps-25-tariffs-on-canada-and-mexico-will-be-a-blow-to-all-3-economies/.
3: “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Proceeds with Tariffs on Imports from Canada and Mexico – ].” The White House, March 4, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-proceeds-with-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-and-mexico/.
April Blog: The Trump Administration & Tariffs III
In the past 30 days, the Tariffs between China and the United States have escalated to an all-out trade war. On April 10, five days after announcing a 10% tariff on all foreign countries, the Trump Administration issued another “reciprocal” tariff on Chinese goods. However, this tariff was anything but reciprocal, as the United States initiated increased tariffs by tacking Chinese goods with a 145% tariff. Before April 10, Chinese tariffs on American goods were at 40%; however, beginning on April 12, China matched the United States’ absurd tariff with a 125% tariff of their own. Even though Chinese tariffs on American products were higher than American tariffs on Chinese products through the months of February and March, there is still no explanation for why the Trump Administration would jump from its original 25% tariff all the way to 145%. The announcement of such a drastic tariff caused United States stocks to lose a record-high 6.6 trillion dollars in value over two subsequent days, demonstrating investors’ clear fears of the tariff’s impact on the American economy.
The fear of American investors has seeped into American politics, too, as just yesterday, Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit against President Trump, asserting that Trump should not have the authority to enact tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act unilaterally. Newsom stated that these tariffs had done “irreparable harm” to California, the state with the largest impact on the American economy. Even though individual investors may be worried about their portfolios, the fact that Gavin Newsom is so terrified of the economic devastation wrought by the new tariffs that he filed a lawsuit against his own president presents a much larger problem: could these tariffs send the American economy into another Great Depression? At the trade war’s current pace (tariffs quintupling within three months), the tariffs issued by both parties could bring structural economic damage within the next year. However, there is still hope. As demonstrated by the rebound of the stock market on April 14, when the Trump Administration announced a temporary pause to the tariffs, the American economy will benefit from the cessation of the tariffs. It is imperative that the Trump Administration soon conclude its tariffs, as they may destroy the American economy.
References/Bibliography
1: California, State of. “Governor Newsom Files Lawsuit to End President Trump’s Tariffs.” Governor of California, April 17, 2025. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/04/16/governor-newsom-files-lawsuit-to-end-president-trumps-tariffs/.
2: Ross, David J., Lauren Mandell, Neena Shenai, Rhonda K. Schmidtlein, and Mark Kim. “President Trump Announces Then Suspends Reciprocal Tariffs, Defers Tariffs on Certain Electronics, and Increases Tariffs on China.” BACK, April 17, 2025. https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20250417-president-trump-announces-then-suspends-reciprocal-tariffs-defers-tariffs-on-certain-electronics-and-increases-tariffs-on-china.
3: “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase Our Competitive Edge, Protect Our Sovereignty, and Strengthen Our National and Economic Security.” The White House, April 2, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
May Blog: Hosting a student from Jarvenpaa, Finland
When I first signed up to host a Finnish student, my main motivation was to fulfill the GIP requirement. However, my week with Tuure was far more meaningful than I would have ever expected. Upon meeting Tuure, I realized that we had much more in common than I predicted. We both enjoyed playing the same video games, like Minecraft and Clash Royale, and we both enjoyed listening to the same genres of music. Throughout the week, Tuure and I learned a lot about each other’s lives and cultures. I learned that in Finland, students could choose their own school schedules (meaning that he didn’t start class until 10:30 every day), there was no homework after school, and friend groups rented out large buildings to host parties most weekends. Additionally, Tuure mentioned that the government was much more involved in public aid in Finland, financing every student’s college tuition and providing aid to the homeless. In fact, Tuure said that he saw more homeless people in the one day he visited Hollywood than in his whole life in Finland. While there were a lot of ways that life in Finland seemed better than life in America, Tuure also pointed out some things he liked more about the United States. The first and foremost was the weather: Tuure mentioned that it was almost never sunny in Finland, and the fall consisted of constant hail and rain. Furthermore, Tuure mentioned that houses were less spacious in Finland, and after we went to a pool party at another host’s house, he noted that in Finland there were only public pools, which were frozen over for at least half of the year.
During the week, Tuure and I went bowling together, and I was able to show him many of the culturally different restaurants around the San Gabriel Valley. With some other exchange students, he ate at In-N-Out, went outlet shopping, and even got a magic show from Magic Maclemore at the Magic Castle. At the end of the week, he described his experience as the best week of his life. This statement really struck me because I had no idea that a somewhat normal week in my life could be so impactful for another person. It was really great to exchange cultures with Tuure, and I would really encourage people considering hosting a student to do so.
June Blog: Mass Deportations & The American Economy
On June 4, 2025, 2,200 people were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), setting a new record for the largest number of people arrested by ICE in a single day. While these numbers are staggering, White House Deputy Chief Stephen Miller, who is widely credited with the creation of the new deportation policy, has stated that he expects to expand and increase the deportation rate to 3,000 people a day.
These shocking arrest and deportation rates have fomented riots in New York, Dallas, Boston, and Los Angeles, causing President Trump to deploy more than 4,000 federal troops in Los Angeles to quell the so-called “insurrectionists.” Furthermore, according to Fox News, the Secret Service has even become involved with the protests in Los Angeles as multiple death threats towards President Trump have surfaced. While arrest rates are constantly portrayed throughout news sources and media, something that both the media and the Trump Administration seem to be overlooking is the large impact on the American economy.
Within the first month of Trump’s Presidency, his Administration enacted the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). By arguing that “illegal aliens” brought drugs into America and caused a harsh economic state, the Trump Administration justified 25% tariffs on countries like Mexico, China, and Canada. However, even with the increased deportation rates and tariffs, there has been neither a significant decrease in fentanyl-related deaths since the start of Trump’s Presidency, nor have the tariffs fixed the economic state in America. In fact, the tariffs reached such an extreme (125%) in April that the Senator of California, Gavin Newsom, filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration that questioned its power to enact the IEEPA so easily.
Mass-deportations are not solving any of the problems that the Trump Administration claimed they would. When Trump was elected in January, he claimed that he could both end the fentanyl crisis and revitalize the American economy through mass deportations. However, more than five months into his second term, it is evident that mass deportation has not accomplished anything for the Trump Administration besides creating unrest among American citizens, with some believing they are now living in an Authoritarian society.
1: Kayla Epstein, Bernd Debusmann and Christal Hayes. “La Protests: Perfect Storm as Mass Deportations Collide with City of Immigrants.” BBC News, June 10, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d47v7394go.
2: D’Abrosca, Peter, and Fox News. “Trump Death Threats Emerge amid Los Angeles Riots; Secret Service Aware.” Fox News, June 13, 2025. https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-death-threats-emerge-amid-los-angeles-riots-secret-service-aware.
3: Krauze, León. “Opinion | Los Angeles Protests Are Not ‘Insurrection’ - The Washington Post.” Washington Post. Accessed June 16, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/06/12/los-angeles-protests-insurrection-lies/.
July Blog: Trump's July 4th Tax Plan
Just yesterday, as Americans across the nation celebrated their country’s 249th birthday, President Trump signed an 870 page tax bill into law. While the bill increased the budget for the defense department and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by more than 250 billion dollars, according to BBC, it also made large cuts to core government aid programs such as Medicaid. And even though President Trump reassured the public that this bill would neither reduce Medicaid’s potency nor hike up tax rates, the bill remained contentious in Congress, barely passing in the Senate vote earlier this week, with Vice President JD Vance required to cast a tiebreaking vote. However, now that the bill has passed, the same question remains: will Trump’s tax bill actually improve the economic state in America, or was economic improvement simply a façade to fund Trump’s plans to bolster the military and increase deportation?
Currently, there are numerous reasons to believe that the latter answer is true. First of all, while the Trump Administration claimed that the bill would “reduce [economic] deficits by over $2 trillion,” the Congressional Budget Office’s estimates predict the exact opposite, forecasting that the bill in its current state will add more than 3 trillion dollars of debt for the American government in the next ten years. A large part of the CBO’s prediction involves the eventual tax increase for people making less than $30,000 a year, while a tax decrease by more than $300,000 annually for the 0.1% of people in America. Simply using logic, these 2029 tax changes would not decrease the amount of money the government receives from taxes, but it would also disproportionately harm the families and people barely wavering over the poverty line while aiding the uber-rich.
Moreover, Trump’s tax bill may very well both ruin Medicaid benefits for millions of people while unnecessarily increasing deportation in America. Despite the President’s reassurance that “Medicaid [was] left alone,” the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent healthcare research center, predicts that about half of the 2 trillion dollars Trump expected to cut with this bill is coming out of funding for Medicaid over the next 10 years. These budget cuts would directly harm Healthcare for people in America with limited income, but Trump asserts that the new bill will also root out “illegal aliens” who take up Medicaid budget, “protect[ing] Medicaid for the truly vulnerable.” This statement extends Trump’s list of different reasons to increase deportation, from the foreign tariffs and fentanyl rates of the past to the protection of government programs of the present.
Regardless, Trump’s decisions since January have not seemed to make large positive impacts for the economy, as seen in the stock market crashes of April, and only time will tell if giving 100 billion dollars to ICE in the next 10 years will actually improve Medicaid for Americans. While many Americans are rejoicing in the return to Reagan-like policy, relishing tax “improvements” and Medicaid cuts, the other half of the nation waits nervously to see if this new bill will wreak havoc on not only the American economy but also its people.
1: California, State of. “Here’s How President Trump’s Tax Cuts for the Ultra-Rich Will Hurt You.” Governor of California, July 3, 2025. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/07/02/heres-how-president-trumps-tax-cuts-for-the-ultra-rich-will-hurt-you/.
2: “Estimated Budgetary Effects of an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Relative to CBO’s January 2025 Baseline.” Congressional Budget Office, June 29, 2025. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61534.
3: Gilder, Jake Horton & Lucy. “Fact-Checking Three Key Claims about Trump’s Mega-Bill.” BBC News, July 3, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20r6vm0xl3o.
August Blog: The Epstein Files: Denial, Deflection, and Dishonesty
When Jeffrey Epstein, arguably the most notorious child trafficker in World history, was arrested in July of 2019, Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had fallen out with Epstein more than fifteen years prior, repeating multiple times that he was “not a fan of [Epstein].” Five years later, during his campaign for a second term as president, Trump stated in an interview he would declassify the Epstein files if elected, a statement that was reiterated on his campaign’s X page in a post labeled: President Trump says he will DECLASSIFY the 9/11 Files, JFK Files, and Epstein Files.
However, since his inauguration in January of 2025, Trump has done everything besides release the Epstein files. According to BBC, in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed President Trump that his name appeared in Justice Department documents relating to Epstein. In response to this information, the Trump Administration has not only refused to release the Epstein files but has also taken several actions to undermine the veracity and even existence of these files. For example, in July, a White House representative portrayed a Wall Street Journal article about Trump’s name in the Epstein files as a “fake news story.” A week later, when departing from an event in Pennsylvania, President Trump himself claimed that the Epstein files “were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, and they were made up by Biden.” Framing the Epstein files as unreleasable because they were a false narrative created by democrats, Trump contradicted his past enthusiasm to release the files, arousing suspicion among many American citizens.
And on July 24 and 25, the most severe developments yet in the Epstein files took place. Ghislane Maxwell, the right-hand woman to Jeffrey Epstein and the only person besides Epstein to face jail time for their involvement in the child sex-trafficking scheme, met privately with Todd Blanche, Trump’s deputy attorney general, to discuss the Epstein documents. While at surface level, this might seem like a positive thing, the Trump Administration hung a potential pardon for 20 years in jail over Maxwell’s head during this process. This pardon could be used to coerce Maxwell into relating to Trump’s opposers to Epstein while clearing Trump and his allies’ names. Furthermore, even if she did relate Trump to Epstein, the private nature of her meetings with Blanche made it so that the allegations would never be released.
While the Trump Administration’s refusal to release the Epstein files and convict the felons associated with Jeffrey Epstein is a huge problem by itself, these events also raise unsettling questions about the integrity of American democracy today. As the Trump Administration leverages its pardoning power to duress Maxwell into giving an altered witness statement, transparency is changing from a cornerstone of democracy to a matter of political convenience. If citizens cannot trust their leaders to uphold justice, then the question is no longer if the Epstein files will be released- it is whether the democratic system is still functioning along its original tenets of truth and transparency.
1: Hutzler, Alexandra. “What Trump Has Said about Jeffrey Epstein over the Years, Including on 2024 Campaign Trail.” ABC News. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-years-including-2024-campaign-trail/story?id=123778541.
2: Matza, Max. “Giuffre Family Asks Trump Not to Pardon Maxwell.” BBC News, July 31, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg40gj07k2o.
3: Matza, Max. “White House Pushes Back after Reports Trump Is Named in Epstein Files.” BBC News, July 24, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyq921zqqzo.
September Blog: President Trump’s 50% Tariff on India Threatening Jobs and Foreign Relationships
Just five days ago, on Wednesday, August 27, President Trump’s 50% tariff on Indian goods took effect. Justifying this tariff as retribution for recent Indian purchases of Russian oil and weapons, the Trump Administration implied that India should choose between Russia and the United States as its economic ally, suggesting that the tariffs would remain unless India halted its purchases of Russian goods. While the Trump Administration may have intended to use the tariff as a foreign policy tool against Russia, the immediate economic consequences have been drastic for India.
According to CNN, the United States was not only India’s largest trading partner in 2024, but it also played a significant role in financing export-heavy sectors, such as apparel, seafood, and jewelry, which make up over 20% of India’s overall GDP. Consequently, now that this huge tariff has made exporting to the United States unprofitable for several businesses, millions of Indian jobs are at risk.
One factory worker, Jinul Abedeen, immediately expressed his worry about the recent tariffs. Recounting his experience of leaving family behind to learn Zardozi, an ancient threadwork technique, Abedeen described his work as a “true skill” that allowed him to earn constant employment for over two decades at the New Delhi Orient Craft factory. During those two decades, Orient Craft had relied on the United States for over 82% of its exports. Now, however, as prices are expected to skyrocket and demand for Orient Craft’s goods is likely to decrease due to the recent tariff, Abedeen raised concern about the employment of all factory workers: “If the company is in trouble, we are in trouble.”
Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allied himself with President Trump in the past, even stating a mission to MIGA (Make India Great Again) this past February, he has not been idle in responding to the tariff. This past weekend, Prime Minister Modi visited China for the first time in seven years to attend a security forum, a multinational meeting that also featured Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance. When questioned about the Trump Administration’s new tariffs, Modi called it unfair and stated that he would always take the “best deal” for his own citizens, hinting that he may continue to trade with Russia.
Evidently, the Trump Administration’s new tariff on India was a futile attempt to demotivate Indian purchases of Russian goods. The tariff has not only threatened the stability of Indian employment, but it has also motivated Prime Minister Modi to collaborate with President Xi Jinping and President Putin instead of President Trump. By pitting India, the world’s most populous democracy, against the United States, the Trump Administration risks its own nation’s political relationships and long-term financial success. To prevent any further damage, it is imperative that the Trump Administration quickly pursues reconciliatory actions and avoids tariffs of such large scale and nature in the future.
1: Aggarwal, Mithil. “India Looks to Mend Ties with China as Trump’s Tariffs Push It Away from U.S.” NBC News, August 31, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/india-looks-mend-ties-china-trumps-tariffs-push-away-us-rcna227183.
2: Inamdar, Nikhil. “Donald Trump’s 50% Tariff on India Kicks in as PM Modi Urges Self-Reliance.” BBC News, August 27, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ykznn158qo.
3: Mogul, Rhea. “How Trump’s ‘america First’ Puts ‘Make in India’ and Millions of Livelihoods on the Line | CNN Business.” CNN, August 30, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/30/business/india-us-tariffs-factory-jobs-intl-hnk-dst.
4: “Trump Says India Offered to Reduce Tariffs on US Goods to Zero.” Reuters, September 1, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/trump-says-india-offered-reduce-tariffs-us-goods-zero-2025-09-01/.
September Blog II: Duterte on Trial: Implications for the International Criminal Court
This Monday, September 21, a fifteen-page charge sheet from the International Criminal Court (ICC) dated from July was released, outlining charges brought against Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippines’ former president was charged with crimes against humanity for his “war on drugs,” which officially began on July 1, 2016, and caused the death of over 12,000 Filipinos, according to the Human Rights Watch. However, executions of small-time drug users and dealers in the Philippines under Duterte’s watch began even before his inauguration in 2016: during his reign as the mayor of Davao City from 2013-2016, Duterte was allegedly involved in the killing of 19 drug dealers.
Since the ICC took him into custody earlier this year, Duterte has issued no apologies for his anti-drug crackdown, which saw the majority of its victims killed without trial by Philippine police forces, hitmen hired by Duterte himself, or the so-called “Davao Death Squad,” a vigilante group long linked to Duterte during his time as mayor. In fact, according to the BBC, Duterte maintained a positive self-view, claiming his motivation was to rid the country of street crimes. Consequently, according to The Guardian, many police officers and vigilantes have also voiced no regret over their murders, claiming their actions were in the interests of national security.
Duterte marks the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC and the first person to be flown to the Hague (the headquarters of the ICC) in three years. While this case seems like a promising step forward in the ICC’s ability to convict people who commit atrocities against mankind, there are still many shortcomings to it and its Rome Statute.
Firstly, convictions and indictments are rarely made on a timely schedule. For Duterte, even though his alleged involvement in the 2013 Davao murders should have prompted a quick arrest or an investigation by the ICC at a minimum, no definitive action was taken until more than a decade later. In fact, action by the ICC was so late that Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, is arguing that Duterte can no longer stand trial due to poor health and “cognitive impairment in multiple domains.”
Moreover, Kaufman is also contending that since the Philippines left the Rome Statute in March of 2019, the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over the Philippines. Although in this particular case, the ICC maintains control over Duterte’s case because his alleged crimes were committed before 2019, Kaufman’s argument demonstrates a larger problem in global justice: the ICC holds no power over countries not in the Rome Statute. These countries include, but are not limited to, the United States, Russia, Israel, Egypt, and Iran.
With such major world powers not committed to the Rome Statute, the ICC realistically holds minimal power in serving justice to perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Duterte’s case exemplifies the slow, nearly ineffective process of convicting offenders. If the ICC is to truly hold those in power accountable, reforms are needed: faster investigative timelines, more resources for prosecutions, and mechanisms to enforce jurisdiction even when powerful states refuse cooperation. Although it will be extremely difficult, expanding membership and closing loopholes are necessary to prevent perpetrators from evading justice.
1: Brown, Cate. “Duterte, Former Philippine President, Charged with Murder at ICC.” The Washington Post, September 23, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/09/23/rodrigo-duterte-icc-murder-charge-crimes-against-humanity/.
2: Lamb, Kate. “‘An Eye for an Eye’: Some Duterte Death Squad Members Unrepentant as He Awaits ICC Trial.” The Guardian, September 25, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/25/philippines-manila-death-squad-members-unrepentant-rodrigo-duterte-icc-trial-ntwnfb.
3: “Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs.’” Philippines’ “War on Drugs” | Human Rights Watch, March 2, 2017. https://www.hrw.org/tag/philippines-war-on-drugs.
4: Preskey, Natasha. “ICC Charges Ex-Philippines Leader Rodrigo Duterte with Murder.” BBC News, September 22, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5e1v85lrdo.
