CBP detained 371 shipments between Oct. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, due to the possible use of forced labor on the goods, the agency said in newly updated forced labor statistics. That marks an increase of 281 stopped shipments from the previous release of statistics, when CBP said it detained 90 shipments between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 (see 2101290050).
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for April 5-9 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Office of Management and Budget should restart consideration of a proposal to end the de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs, the National Council of Textile Organizations said in an April 14 letter to acting OMB Director Robert Fairweather. The review of the proposal began at OMB last year (see 2009040026) but was removed as part of a broad regulatory freeze after President Joe Biden took office (see 2101210039). OMB should reopen the review and “grant approval to this much needed change in CBP regulations,” NCTO said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from April 5-9 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Customs modernization legislation should include a requirement for customs brokers, freight forwarders and other filers to “attain and deploy requisite and continuing education providing the capacity to operate in the modern trade environment,” a National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America subcommittee said in a draft report released April 12. The draft white paper comes from the NCBFAA subcommittee working to develop suggestions as CBP comes up with a legislative proposal for customs modernization (see 2011120010). CBP is still in the process of reviewing responses to a proposal for continuing education requirements, though an official said it isn't totally clear that the benefits would outweigh the costs (see 2103250030).
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for March 29-April 2 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
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.
The assembly of lithium-ion battery packs in China prior to import doesn't result in a substantial transformation, CBP said in an April 1 ruling. Greenworks Tools sought a country of origin ruling on the battery packs, which are used with power tools. The company argued that the origin should be based on the origin of the battery cells and CBP agreed.
Imported flooring with a natural cork veneer on top should be classified based on that veneer, CBP said in a March 4 ruling. The law firm Neville Peterson requested the CBP internal advice ruling on behalf of the importer, Toryls, it said. The company said the flooring should be classified based on the layer of agglomerated cork included in the flooring.
Several CBP land border ports are now operating “downtime procedures” due to problems in ACE, an agency official said April 1 during a call with software developers. The affected ports include Laredo and El Paso in Texas, he said. “We are seeing significant disruptions at the land border ports at this time,” he said.