CBP recently added specific documentation requirements for aluminum products to its standard Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act detention notices, customs lawyer Richard Mojica of Miller & Chevalier said in a post on LinkedIn. Previously, the detention notices had listed only documentation requirements for cotton, polysilicon and tomatoes, the three sectors singled out in UFLPA. As of recently -- possibly January, Mojica said -- the notices now request details on the manufacturing process, the location where the aluminum was further manufactured, and any raw material invoices, purchase orders, proof of payment and export documents. “This likely means we'll see an uptick in detentions of aluminum products,” Mojica said. “What about products that are not made primarily of aluminum, but contain aluminum?” CBP did not comment.
Additional funding for forced labor enforcement included in the recently enacted omnibus federal spending bill is a “truly transformative sum,” supporting sizable increases in CBP personnel and advances in the technology the agency uses to support its forced labor efforts, customs lawyer John Foote said in a Jan. 6 blog post.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
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CBP targeted 444 entries worth over $128 million for suspected use of forced labor in November 2022, including goods subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and withhold release orders, the agency said in its most recent operational update. The number of entries targeted was up from October, although the value of the entries was about the same (see 2211150070). CBP also seized "nearly 1,536 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $196 million" in November, and completed 41 audits that identified $1.9 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government for goods that had been improperly declared, the agency said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he sent letters to major automakers asking about their supply chains' links to the Xinjiang region in China because "there are substantial questions with respect to forced labor ... and we want to get to the bottom of it."
An upcoming requirement to include a postal code for entries of China-origin goods and new and updated Chinese manufacturer IDs is now scheduled for deployment on March 18, and CBP is looking to also automate the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act detentions process in the following months, according to an updated CBP ACE deployment schedule released Dec. 21.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.