Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s diplomatic agenda is taking center stage this week, as he spearheads two major initiatives that could reshape both U.S. immigration policy and the fragile balance of power in the Middle East. In a flurry of international activity, Rubio’s State Department has announced a controversial push to overhaul global asylum rules at the United Nations, while Rubio himself is set to visit Israel amid escalating tensions over the war in Gaza and a series of explosive Israeli actions that have rattled regional alliances.
On September 12, 2025, the State Department revealed its intention to press the United Nations for a sweeping reform of asylum protocols. According to Reuters, the plan would require asylum seekers to claim protection in the first country they enter, rather than allowing them to choose their ultimate destination. This marks a dramatic departure from current international norms, which have long permitted individuals fleeing persecution to seek refuge in the country of their choosing. Under the proposed framework, asylum would also become a temporary status, with host nations empowered to decide when conditions in a migrant’s home country have improved enough to warrant their return.
The effort is being led by Christopher Landau, Rubio’s Deputy Secretary of State, and is aimed at stemming what U.S. officials describe as the abuse of asylum systems for economic migration. Proponents argue the reforms would ease the social and economic strains of mass migration on the United States, Europe, and Canada—citing issues like chaotic diversity, stalled wages, unaffordable housing, and declining birth rates. Critics, however, see the move as a direct threat to the rights of refugees and a dangerous rollback of protections established in the aftermath of World War II.
Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee resettlement group HIAS, voiced deep alarm in comments to Reuters: "If it were to change, we’d be back to the situation we were in during the Holocaust." Hetfield’s warning underscores the high stakes and emotional resonance of the debate, as pro-migration groups mobilize to resist the proposed changes.
Andrew Veprek, Trump’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, offered a stark assessment of the current system in Senate testimony on September 11, 2025: "Perhaps the most important ‘root cause’ of mass and illegal migration today is the abuse of refugee and asylum systems." He went on to argue, "The current framework of international agreements and norms on migration developed after the Second World War, in a completely different geopolitical and economic context. It cannot be expected to function in our modern world – and indeed, it does not. The need for reform has been clear for a number of years. Under President Trump, we finally have a leader willing to consider it. If confirmed, I will seek to work with other countries to build the support needed to reform this broken system. I will aim to ensure the principles of national sovereignty and rule of law get proper consideration in the global migration regime."
The backdrop to these reforms is a dramatic shift in the U.S. approach to migration under recent administrations. During President Joe Biden’s tenure, the State Department’s migration bureau was used to facilitate the migration of roughly 10 million southern migrants, often through legal and quasi-legal channels like H-2A and H-2B work visas, parole loopholes, and asylum claims. According to Breitbart News, more than 30,000 migrants have moved through these pipelines since 2024, as part of a broader strategy to supply U.S. and European labor markets with young workers from developing countries. This approach, critics say, has extracted human resources from poorer nations and minimized the pressure on U.S. investors to develop trade with those regions.
That strategy was formalized in the so-called LA Declaration, a migration treaty involving multiple countries in the Americas and Europe. Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s Cuban-born migration chief, declared at a September 2024 meeting in Washington D.C., "The number of refugees that we have committed to accepting [in 2025] from this hemisphere is 35,000 to 50,000 [and] 125,000, globally." Mayorkas added, "If you ask me, from the perspective of my personal story, those numbers should be far greater, far greater." Marcela Escobari, a Bolivian immigrant and Biden’s appointee to the National Security Council, helped launch the "Labor Neighbors" program in 2024 to quietly facilitate the hiring of South American migrants by U.S. and European employers.
As the State Department’s migration bureau faces upheaval—Reuters reported mass layoffs in July 2025—Rubio’s new approach signals a sharp pivot, with implications not just for U.S. domestic policy but for global migration patterns and the economies of developing nations. The debate is far from settled, as both sides marshal arguments rooted in history, economics, and humanitarian values.
While the asylum reform push unfolds at the United Nations, Rubio himself is embarking on a high-stakes diplomatic tour in the Middle East. On September 13, 2025, he will travel to Israel to meet with officials about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and wider Middle Eastern security concerns. The timing could hardly be more fraught: just days earlier, Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas leaders on Qatari soil, a move that has infuriated Qatar—a key U.S. ally and mediator in the Gaza war—as well as other partners in the region.
"In Israel, he will convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Israeli security," State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot said in a statement. "He will also emphasize our shared goals: ensuring Hamas never rules over Gaza again and bringing all the hostages home."
The fallout from the Israeli strikes has been swift and severe. Dorothy Shea, the acting U.S. permanent representative to the UN, condemned the bombing at an emergency Security Council session: "The unilateral bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation working very hard and bravely taking risks alongside the United States to broker peace, does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals." President Donald Trump echoed the sentiment, telling reporters, "I was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every aspect, and we got to get the hostages back. But I was very unhappy about the way that went down."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has doubled down, threatening further strikes if Qatar continues to host Hamas. "I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice," Netanyahu declared. "Because if you don’t, we will." Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani, after meeting with Trump and Rubio at the White House, accused Israel of undermining peace negotiations: "Attacking our territories while we were busy with negotiations has uncovered the intention of Israel. It is trying to undermine any prospect of peace. It is trying to perpetuate the suffering of the Palestinian people. It also shows that extremists that rule Israel today do not care about the hostages. This is not a priority."
Rubio’s itinerary in Israel includes meetings with the families of hostages and discussions about Israeli operational goals for the ongoing ground offensive in Gaza. The visit comes at a critical juncture, as several countries—including France, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom—are poised to formally recognize a Palestinian state in the coming week. Meanwhile, far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the annexation of 82% of the West Bank, a move designed to block the creation of a future Palestinian state.
Rubio, speaking earlier this month, described Israel’s retaliation as "wholly predictable" and warned European allies that their actions could make it harder to achieve a ceasefire. "As for what you’re seeing with the West Bank and the annexation, that’s not a final thing," Rubio said. "That’s something that’s being discussed among some elements of Israeli politics."
After his visit to Israel, Rubio will travel to the United Kingdom to meet with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Their agenda includes cooperation on global challenges such as ending the Russia-Ukraine war, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, ensuring the release of all Hamas-held hostages, and achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.
As the world watches, Rubio’s dual-pronged diplomatic campaign—one aimed at rewriting the rules of asylum and the other at navigating the treacherous waters of Middle Eastern geopolitics—underscores the shifting priorities and deep divisions shaping American foreign policy in 2025.