Restricting de minimis was never a natural fit for the defense policy bill, one of only two major bills expected to get a vote in the lame duck session of Congress. A bill to fund the government past Dec. 20 is the other.
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
Daikin, Panasonic and Sony have confirmed forced labor allegations at their Malaysian plastics supplier Kawaguchi Manufacturing.
A bipartisan duo have introduced a bill that would require the administration to establish a "Denied Parties List" for exporters wishing to send packages under the de minimis exclusion, based on at least three past shipments of counterfeits, illegal drugs, or goods made with forced labor.
The House passed a bill that would create a task force in DOJ to increase prosecutions of tariff evasion, violations of the forced labor provision and ban on goods made in North Korea, trade-based money laundering and smuggling. The bill passed by a voice vote Dec. 3.
CBP is banning imports of aluminum extrusions and profile products made by Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L., after finding the use of forced labor at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic. The agency’s forced labor finding means “aluminum extrusions and profile products and derivatives produced or manufactured wholly or in part by Kingtom Aluminio” using aluminum goods of Chapter 76 of the tariff schedule will be detained beginning Dec. 4, as will any such goods that have already been imported but not yet released from CBP custody by that date.
CBP has determined that Kingtom Aluminio's aluminum extrusions were produced or manufactured using forced labor, the agency said in a notice. The determination applies to any merchandise imported on or after Dec. 4, as well as any merchandise that has been imported into the U.S. but has not been released from CBP custody.
The Canada Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) terminated its review of human rights complaints against Ralph Lauren Canada, the agency announced last week. The company participated in a confidential dispute settlement process with the parties that filed the complaint against the company; in June 2024, the complainants notified CORE of their decision to withdraw the complaint given "satisfactory responses" from Ralph Lauren.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee for CBP holds its next quarterly meeting Dec. 11 remotely and in person in Washington, D.C., at 1 p.m. EST, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due by Dec. 6.
DHS added 30 more companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List for allegedly using forced labor or participating in forced labor schemes, it said in a notice. Some of the companies are in the metals sector, including the mining, smelting and processing of gold, copper, lithium, beryllium, nickel, manganese, chromium, iron and aluminum. Other newly listed entities produce food products, including tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger and garlic, edible seeds, walnuts and herbs for medicinal purposes. The listings take effect Nov. 25.
There are now 107 companies flagged by U.S. regulators for using forced labor or sourcing materials from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, with the inclusion of 29 more companies, DHS said.