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New legislation has been introduced to the House that aims to reduce exploitation of the Section 321 de minimis threshold. Section 321 de minimis currently allows goods from foreign countries to be imported duty-free and tax-free as long as the value of the goods is under $800. Over the past several years, the amount of packages arriving in the US under Section 321 has expanded exponentially, currently averaging over 2 million packages per day. There are major concerns that this is reducing the competitiveness of US businesses, and allows bad actors in the industry to exploit the lack of oversight on these lower-value shipments. The Import Security and Fairness Act is intended to close this loophole and provide additional oversight to the de minimis import process. The Act also will require CBP to collect information on all de minimis shipments in order to prevent further abuse of the rule, as well as ensuring de minimis is not being used to bring in goods made with forced labor.
A multinational organization based in Bangkok, Thailand, has agreed to pay $20,000,000 to settle potential civil liability for 467 apparent violations of OFAC sanctions on Iran. Between 2017 and 2018, the company facilitated $291 million in wire transfers through U.S. financial institutions for the sale of Iranian-origin high-density polyethylene resin (HDPE), manufactured by a joint venture involving the parent company in Iran. HDPE is a robust resin used in various plastic products such as food and beverage containers, shampoo bottles, and industrial items. Concurrently, the company initiated U.S. dollar wire transfer transactions to settle the joint venture’s debts to third-party vendors.
BIS has released the newest iteration of their guidance on export enforcement. The “Don’t Let This Happen to You” guidance document is dated March 2024 and is 76 pages of important guidance for the export community. The opening letter states “Export controls have never been more important to our collective security interests than they are today.” Follow the link below to check out more details!
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against work gloves manufactured in a Chinese company and its subsidiaries, based on evidence suggesting the use of convict labor. This action is part of the U.S. government's efforts to combat forced labor globally. With nearly 28 million workers suffering under such conditions worldwide, WROs are a means to deter companies from exploiting labor and to protect vulnerable populations. By enforcing laws prohibiting the importation of goods produced by forced labor, CBP aims to safeguard American workers, businesses, and consumers. Currently overseeing and enforcing numerous WROs and Findings, CBP emphasizes its commitment to eliminating forced labor from U.S. supply chains and encourages reporting of suspected violations.
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