The number of shipments stopped in October by CBP because of concerns over forced labor rose on a year-over-year and sequential basis, even though the value of those stopped shipments decreased over those same periods, according to CBP data.
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.
EU ministers this week officially adopted a ban on products made with forced labor, marking one of the final steps in a yearslong lawmaking process designed to eliminate EU imports, exports or other sales of those goods (see 2404230048 and 2403050035). The new regulations will apply about three years after publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Correction: Tasha Reid Hippolyte, DHS deputy assistant secretary for trade and economic competitiveness, said (see 2411130036) that she is asking other decisionmakers in DHS to publish Chinese-language names of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List firms, or the addresses of companies that have been added to the UFLPA Entity List. She said the easiest request to fulfill, "the one that I'm pushing," is to provide the Chinese-language names.
In addition to tariff hikes expected in 2025, trade experts are also thinking about the 2026 review of USMCA, and the investment and supply chain planning uncertainty that is likely to follow.
DETROIT -- Cindy Allen, owner of consultancy firm Trade Force Multiplier, said she believes some of the initiatives in the 21st Century Customs Framework bills are useful -- such as simplifying CBP's process for seizures -- but that overall, the focus is too heavy on enforcement.
Singapore-headquartered Maxeon Solar Technologies says CBP continues to detain its solar panels imported from Mexico even though the company has provided proof that its solar panels comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
The Senate Appropriations Committee issued its proposal for funding the Department of Homeland Security, asserting its bill could get the bipartisan support needed to pass that chamber. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has previously said he would prefer to delay spending decisions until next year, when the House, Senate and White House will have Republican majorities. However, some observers believe Republicans would be better served by passing during the lame-duck session appropriations for the fiscal year that goes through September, freeing up Congress to spend its time in 2025 on the massive tax bill and other policy Trump administration priorities (see 2411120026).
NEW YORK -- Brian Hoxie, director of CBP's Forced Labor Division, told an apparel industry conference audience this week that DHS has been hearing their pleas for more transparency in forced labor enforcement.
NEW YORK -- Tyler Beckelman, a Commerce deputy assistant secretary who also sits on the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, told a garment industry audience that the Biden administration still intends to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on de minimis "before we all turn into pumpkins on Jan. 20."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: