U.S. Customs and Border Protection has failed to adequately assess whether its automated targeting system (ATS) addresses security risks or whether some alternative system would be more effective, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report posted October 26. With 13.4 million cargo containers arriving in U.S. seaports in 2011, CBP’s ability to detect weapons of mass destruction, other weapons, smuggled people and illicit substances is critical, it said in a letter to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted a Nov. 26 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
CBP will open six more Centers of Excellence and Expertise during FY 2013, bringing the total number of CEEs to 10, said CBP Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar, who spoke at CBP's Trade Symposium Nov. 27. The announcement marks the addition of another CEE beyond the previously announced total of nine CEEs planned for FY 2013. The additional location is a result of the splitting of Base Metals and Machinery, which were previously to be combined within a single CEE, at the suggestion of the trade community, said a CBP spokesman. Aguilar also announced the locations and industry focuses of the planned CEEs.
CBP is working to install a revised process to better manage the privately owned and operated bonded facilities, said the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General in its report on "Major Management Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security." The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) pointed to the lax oversight of privately owned bonded facilities as a serious security flaw in a report earlier this year.
CBP named David Lambrix as the new Port Director at the Presidio, Texas Port of Entry. Lambrix was previously Chief Operations Manager in the Office of the Commissioner, Joint Operations Directorate at CBP Headquarters.
CBP will withhold funds from the Special Account related to ongoing litigation involving questions of affected domestic producers and the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA, aka the Byrd Amendment), said CBP. The withholding of funds is due to several court cases reviewing CDSOA provisions. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently reversed the International Trade Commission’s denial of eligibility for benefits under the CDSOA for U.S. crawfish producer PS Chez Sidney.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Nov. 21, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted a Nov. 19 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.