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.
PHILADELPHIA -- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the "de minimis exception" impacts CBP's work to stop illegal drugs and other contraband from entering the United States.
PHILADELPHIA -- With the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act's second anniversary coming up in June, DHS will be releasing a new implementation strategy -- including adding new priority sectors, beyond cotton, tomatoes and polysilicon, the material integral to solar panels.
CBP is set to publish an "artificial intelligence strategy" with “guiding principles and goals” on how CBP can use AI “responsibly and with governance," Sanjeev Bhagowalia, the assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of Information Technology, said March 26.
CBP in February identified 540 shipments valued at more than $306 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor, including goods subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and withhold release orders, the agency said in its most recent operational statistics update. The number and value of those shipments is up from January, when CBP identified 424 shipments worth more than $236 million (see 2402130070). Also in February, CBP seized 1,645 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $345 million if the items had been genuine, the agency said.
The auto industry is grappling with a range of questions about how the EU’s upcoming forced labor-related rules will affect their supply chains, especially for individual car components, an auto industry official and lawyer said this week.
The funding package that is expected to pass Congress later this week adds $19,968,000 in funding for DHS to detect and detain goods produced with forced labor over the amount in last year's budget. The funding, which is meant to be spent before the end of September this year, dedicates $114.5 million annually to enforcing the ban on the importation of goods made with forced labor.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington dismissed a lawsuit from clothing company Smart Apparel (U.S.) that accused Nordstrom of breaching a contract when it canceled orders from Smart Apparel that were suspected of being made with forced labor (Smart Apparel (U.S.) v. Nordstrom, W.D. Wash. # 23-01754).
Shrimp farmed and processed in India is frequently produced by forced labor, with workers in debt bondage and some workers living in employer-supplied housing where they are rarely allowed to leave, according to a new investigation from Corporate Accountability Lab.
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.