Expect Little Enforcement of USMCA Certification of Origin for First Six Months, CBP Official Says

CBP is planning an initially lax approach to enforcement of certifications of origin once the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement enters into force on July 1, said Maya Kumar, director of textiles and trade agreements at CBP, while on a June 1 agency webinar about the deal. “The first six months of this trade agreement, we can pretty much say there will be very little enforcement to no enforcement,” she said. “We understand the position, CBP understands the position that we're in. So we will use maximum flexibility” to avoid putting “trade under stress.” In the unlikely event of a USMCA-related request for information through a Customs Form 28 during those six months, CBP will allow for “extra time to go ahead and get the documents you need from the suppliers,” she said. “The idea is that for the first six months to be extra flexible and then to still use flexibility when we request documents.”