CBP May Deploy Additional Forced Labor Portal in FY 2026
CBP is planning to release a separate forced labor portal in FY 2026 that importers will be required to use, according to a document the agency prepared for the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee's forced labor working group ahead of the COAC's Sept. 17 meeting.
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The working group, which is part of COAC's Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee, will present the last of its work, including a white paper, at the quarterly meeting, which will be its last in its current iteration. CBP plans to restructure COAC to align it with CBP's focus on national security, the protection and promotion of domestic industry, and the closure of “revenue and enforcement gaps” caused by unfair trade practices (see 2507010077).
The federal government's fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
According to CBP, importers will use the forced labor portal to submit forced-labor-related review submissions, including petitions for modification; reviews for applicability with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; UFLPA/Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act exception reviews; and Withhold Release Order admissibility reviews.
This portal follows another one that CBP launched June 20 (see 2506200035). That portal allows trade community users to submit forced labor allegations to CBP, either anonymously or using an account, when they have evidence that companies are using forced labor to undercut U.S. businesses and manufacturing, the issue paper said.
As the working group winds down, it expressed hope in its white paper that collaboration between private industry and CBP on commercial trade would continue and build upon the group's past recommendations.
The working group also said it hopes that CBP will "continue to consider creating a trusted trader program centered on vetting protocols businesses use to screen their supply chains. Such a collaborative program would help CBP protect the national and economic security of the country, while ensuring that the principles of fair-trade level the playing field by rewarding those businesses willing to help the Government meet its mission objectives."