A renewal of the charter for the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee to CBP was approved by the secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security, CBP said in a notice. The renewed charter is effective May 21, when it was filed with Congress, and expires May 21, 2022.

CBP issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website May 20 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 CBP's ADD CVD Search page.

CBP and the Treasury Department should extend the duty deferral plan through the rest of 2020, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America said in a May 20 letter to CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan and to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Skud. The duty deferrals should also be expanded to cover all duties and fees, FDRA said. “This would free up much-needed financial resources for companies to continue operations and preserve U.S. jobs,” it said. “These duties will still be paid, just at a later date, so there is no loss to the federal government by such an extension.”

CBP extended its travel restrictions on the northern and southern borders another month, through June 22. The travel restrictions had been set to expire on May 20 (see 2005190056). The travel bans do not apply to cargo, and exempt crossing the border from Canada or Mexico to work in the U.S.

CBP is updating how it processes requests for vessel manifest confidentiality, the agency said in a final rule. The rule provides for submissions via an online portal known as the Vessel Manifest Confidentiality Online Application. “This new portal allows CBP to review confidentiality requests more efficiently by automating the submission process, reducing the processing time to as little as 24 hours in most cases,” the agency said. CBP regulations allow for public release of vessel manifest information unless confidentiality is requested. “This final rule does not require prior notice and comment because it relates to agency management and agency organization, procedures, or practice,” CBP said.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website May 19 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 CBP's ADD CVD Search page.

CBP will be “implementing new requirements in ACE for processing entries subject to the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trilateral trade agreement (USMCA)” on July 1, the agency said in an updated ACE deployment schedule. That's the same day the USMCA takes effect. CBP also has determined it will deploy Electronic Vessel Manifest Confidentiality in ACE on May 22, and it removed “Analytical Formula for Continuous Bond Sufficiency due to change in project scope,” according to the change log.

The number of withhold release orders for goods that are allegedly made with forced labor has climbed sharply in the last five years, and Columbia Sportswear's director of global customs and trade said importers should expect that trend to accelerate. Katie Tangman, who was speaking May 20 during the online convention of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones, said traders should expect other countries to pass import bans on goods made from forced labor. While the U.S. is the only country with such a law at this point, Mexico and Canada will be passing bans as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, she said, and pressure is building in the European Union to act, too.