Tim Warren

CBP remains cautious in moving toward continuing education requirements for customs brokers as it continues to examine the issues that derailed a similar effort some years ago, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, during a Jan. 29 interview with International Trade Today. CBP recently launched a task force on the subject (see 1910160056), but the agency is considering whether an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) is necessary before issuing an actual proposal, she said.

Outside the most complicated issues to be implemented as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, such as rules of origin, CBP also sees new “opportunities that are touched on in the agreement,” said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, during a Jan. 29 interview. “For example, there's some guidance around establishing single windows, there are opportunities for us to validate through site visits compliance with all customs laws and that's a much broader scope than it was before,” she said. President Donald Trump signed the implementing bill into law the same day, though Canada still must give its final approval, and implementing actions must be completed by all countries before USMCA can take effect.

The Presidential Proclamation establishing new Section 232 tariffs on finished goods of steel and aluminum and the annexes detailing the covered goods is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Jan. 29. The new 10 percent tariffs on aluminum goods and 25 percent tariffs on steel goods are set to take effect on Feb. 8 (see 2001250003).

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 21-24 in case they were missed.

CBP is awaiting official guidance from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for how to handle goods from China that fall under the six extended Section 301 exclusions (see 1912190060), a CBP official said during a Jan. 23 conference call. While USTR extended those exclusions beyond the Dec. 28, 2019, expiration date, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule code for those exclusions, 9903.88.05, became unusable after that date. A Federal Register notice from USTR will be necessary, the official said.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to “expand its capacity to assess civil penalties and pursue criminal prosecutions against U.S. importers for violations of forced labor authorities,” it said in a recently released strategy document aiming at fighting forced labor imports and human trafficking. “DHS will consider streamlining regulatory frameworks guiding the process for forced labor enforcement actions,” it said. “DHS will also coordinate, consolidate, and publicize allegation and intake reporting channels and other information to ensure quality, actionable leads, gain information for ongoing cases, and verify forced labor allegations.“

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 13-17 in case they were missed.

CBP is investigating whether MSeafood evaded antidumping duties on imported frozen shrimp, CBP said in a Jan. 14 notice to the company that was released by the Southern Shrimp Alliance. The investigation is a result of allegations submitted by the Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Enforcement Committee in July last year. MSeafood is said to have evaded an AD order on frozen shrimp from India through transshipment.

The textile and apparel industry is at particular risk of being caught up in CBP's efforts to stop imports of goods made with forced labor “since the complete supply chain is enormous by any measure,” U.S. Fashion Industry Association Customs Counsel John Pellegrini said in the USFIA's monthly update. Pellegrini said that “CBP brought to our attention a ruling which provides some, but not much relief, in this area.”

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 6-10 in case they were missed.