Bush signed legislation requiring diplomats to sign contracts specifying the employment conditions for domestic workers and the State Department to suspend the issuance of special visas for domestic workers for any country that had tolerated such abuse. government has become increasingly concerned by the abuse of domestic workers by foreign diplomats. If the foreign government refuses, then the State Department may ask the government to recall the diplomat, or may expel the diplomat from the U.S. For serious crimes, the State Department may press the foreign government to waive immunity, and in some cases the foreign government may be willing to do so. But the federal government is not totally without recourse.

Unfortunately, this means that if they commit crimes like driving while drunk or abusing household workers, they have immunity from prosecution or lawsuits in U.S. diplomats who serve around the world.įoreign diplomats and certain representatives of international organizations serving in the U.S.

It would be a mistake to create exceptions to diplomatic immunity.

Diplomatic immunity laws