At a time when hurricane damage, violence and poverty are driving more Central Americans to the U.S., consultants, advocates and former diplomats say the Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, needs changes to spur development in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Those Northern Triangle countries are the ones sending large numbers of asylum seekers to the U.S. in the last few years. Kellie Meiman Hock, a McLarty Associates managing partner who led the April 14 panel hosted by the Washington International Trade Association, noted that when CAFTA was ratified more than 15 years ago, the hope was that it would bring more economic development to Central America. But instead, trade from the region has been flat.
CBP's recent finding on Top Glove's use of forced labor in the production of disposable gloves (see 2103260028) “applies only to disposable gloves originating in Top Glove factories in Malaysia,” a CBP spokesperson said in an April 12 email. That confirms recently reported remarks from Top Glove Executive Chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai. The company has 43 factories in Malaysia, five in Thailand, one in Vietnam and one in China, according to the report.
The White House announced it has selected Chris Magnus, the police chief of Tucson, Arizona, and former police chief of Fargo, North Dakota, and Richmond, California, to lead CBP. The April 12 announcement said, “In each of these cities Magnus developed a reputation as a progressive police leader who focused on relationship-building between the police and community, implementing evidence-based best practices, promoting reform, and insisting on police accountability.” It also said that because Tucson is close to the Mexican border, he has extensive experience in addressing immigration issues.”
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from March 29-April 2 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
As the U.S. Fashion Industry Association's representatives in Washington try to find out timing for a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, Senate Finance Committee staff members are telling them “there’s a lack of urgency with respect to this” among senators. David Spooner, Washington counsel for USFIA, told an online audience March 30 that Congress seems to think that since importers will get refunds for goods that should have qualified for GSP during this period once it's renewed, it's no big deal. “But we know what a pain in the rear the retroactive renewals are,” he said.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated March 28. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from March 22-26 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Federal Communications Commission should strengthen the agency’s equipment authorization process to make sure no devices enter the U.S. that are produced with forced labor in China, Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a March 30 speech. The FCC's approach should align with legislation introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., earlier this year (see 2101290045), Carr said, according to a news release from his office. “We should do our part at the FCC by launching a proceeding that would update our equipment authorization rules to ensure that we are not approving any devices that have been produced with forced labor,” Carr said. “One way we can do this is by requiring every company that procures any devices or components from the [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)] to meet a heightened burden to ensure that their supply chain does not rely on any forced labor. Communist China must not profit from their human rights abuses.”
An importer of garments that were detained by CBP due to the suspected involvement of North Korean nationals in the production was unable to sufficiently show forced labor wasn't used, CBP said in a recently released ruling dated March 5. The use of North Korean labor is considered to be forced labor under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (see 1711070046). The ruling marks the first one directly focused on forced labor since 2002 (see 2001070033), according to CBP's rulings database.
Top Glove in Malaysia is seeking more details from CBP about the agency's finding on the company's use of forced labor (see 2103260028), the company said in an emailed statement. “Top Glove wishes to inform all stakeholders that our U.S. counsels are liaising with representatives from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to obtain more clarity and information on CBP’s recent Finding Information Document,” it said. The company highlighted an independent audit that it submitted to CBP (see 2009080041) and said the company “continues to take extensive remedial actions to further improve our practices and enhance our internal control measures with regard to our labour management.”