CBP Hopes to Standardize Forced Labor Enforcement Processes in Coming Year, Highsmith Says

LAREDO, Texas -- CBP hopes this year to “formalize and normalize” its forced labor enforcement processes following initial implementation of recent changes to forced labor laws, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, said AnnMarie Highsmith, CBP executive assistant commissioner, in remarks at a conference Jan. 18.

CBP wants to be able to take its decisions and put them into a system “that everyone can understand and operate and that keeps merchandise flowing,” Highsmith said, speaking at the Southern Border Conference. The agency recognizes the impacts of its forced labor efforts on the movement of cargo, and is “making adjustments,” she said.

Highsmith said CBP has more petitions open for remediation of forced labor findings since the first laws on imports made with forced labor were put in place around 100 years ago, including from large companies. The agency also has evidence of companies changing their supply chains and demanding their suppliers treat workers fairly and humanely, she said.

She said she hopes to be able to say that “things are normal, steady-state" in our forced labor environment.

Turning to the upcoming requirement for submission of the Chinese postal code in ACE, slated for March (see 2212210041), Highsmith said more information is on the way. CBP will deploy “chatbots, videos and an interactive dashboard,” so the trade community should keep an eye on the agency’s website.

Upcoming ACE deployments related to collections are among the last remaining functionalities that have yet to be added, Highsmith said. The rest will be completed by the fall, which means CBP will finally retire the legacy Automated Commercial System. “I can’t just turn the switch off without recognizing what ACS did for us,” she said.