As CBP ramps up enforcement, the agency often seems to be heading straight for penalties, as witnessed anecdotally by the trend to send out more notices of action, or CF-29 forms, instead of informing importers of possible errors, according to trade experts speaking on a Nov. 20 webinar hosted by logistics company Expeditors.
Firemount confirmed "having taken note of the Withhold Release Order" issued by CBP Nov. 18 (see 2511180038) but "categorically and unequivocally" denied "any allegation" of forced labor in its operations or supply chains, the company told International Trade Today on Nov. 20.
CBP has issued a withhold release order against imports manufactured in Mauritius by Firemount Group based on information CBP said "reasonably indicates" the use of forced labor.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., sent a letter to Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick demanding information on its involvement with a Chinese company on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List.
As customs brokers and importers respond to sudden changes in U.S. trade compliance regulations, the trade will need to come up with new models that can allow companies to be nimble when those changes trickle down to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, trade expert Cindy Allen said recently at the Automotive Industry Action Group's North American Customs and Trade Town Hall on Nov. 6 in Detroit.
The Court of International Trade on Nov. 4 granted importer Camel Energy's motion to expedite its case against CBP's detention of two of its battery entries. Judge Claire Kelly, who was assigned to the case on Oct. 29, granted the motion to expedite and said that Camel Energy "may file a proposed briefing schedule" along with a "brief statement of reasons as to why this expedited timeframe is necessary" by Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. ET (Camel Energy v. United States, CIT # 25-00230).
Sheffield Hallam University ordered forced labor researcher Laura Murphy to stop her work on China in February, before lifting the ban in October and apologizing after Murphy threatened legal action, The Guardian reported Nov. 3. The U.K. university’s decision to halt the research came amid threats from the Chinese government and its concerns that the university’s insurance provider would no longer cover the work for defamation risk, the report said.
As the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative considers whether the U.S. wants to continue the USMCA, it will evaluate more than 1,500 comments from farmers, manufacturers, retailers, civic society and broad business interests that operate in all three countries.
From January through September of this year, CBP has denied U.S. entry to 5,806 imported shipments, valued at $55.6 million, as a result of enforcing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, according to data recently released by the agency. This is the highest level of denied shipments, compared with the January through September period for fiscal years 2023 and 2024, and represents a much higher proportion of denied shipments to released shipments, though the value of denied shipments is lower.
As companies navigate the increasingly complex U.S. trade landscape, companies should "shift left" and adjust their trade compliance strategies so that potential compliance issues are caught upstream in areas such as sales, procurement and development before hitting the duty filing stage, a software developer said at the International Compliance Professionals Association conference in Grapevine, Texas, on Oct. 27.