Perspectives on Forced Labor

In the latest WorldSmart podcast, International Co-Chairs Hunter Carter and Malcolm McNeil sit down with Customs & Import Compliance Partner Angela Santos to discuss the global forced labor problem, how forced labor can impact company supply chains, steps that should be taken to mitigate forced labo

Senate passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, issuance of the updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory, and other recent government action may indicate that all products produced in whole or part in XUAR may soon be banned. Companies should be aware that this may impact the

Withhold release order was issued that will prohibit imports of products produced in whole or part from silica produced by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries. This company has been linked to the largest global solar producers.

Join Arent Fox Partner Angela Santos for the upcoming webinar “Is There Forced Labor and Trafficking in Your International Supply Chain? What International Companies Need to Know.” This event is co-sponsored by the New York State Bar Association and will explore the following hot topics that all

US Customs and Border Protection has made forced labor a top priority and recent actions will impact the supply chain of many US importers.

Arent Fox Partner Angela Santos will join a panel of international attorneys and consultants to present a webinar on April 12, 2021 at 12:30 PM.

If passed, these bills will grant US Customs and Border Protection authority for a region-wide WRO enabling the agency to detain all products from XUAR.

Companies in the fashion, luxury, and agricultural spaces should take action in response to the forced labor supply chain due diligence requirements.

Just two weeks into CY 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is expanding its enforcement efforts against forced labor in China.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blocked imports of cotton products from a major Chinese state-owned firm in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) on December 2, saying the company uses forced labor of ethnic Uighur Muslims.

The US Government has taken action recently to step up enforcement against forced labor.

On September 14, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued new withhold release orders (WRO) aimed at entities involved in the importation, downstream manufacturing, and/or sale of certain apparel, cotton, hair products, and computer parts.

There is a risk that garments made from cotton produced by XPCC could be subject to a Customs and Border Protection withhold release orders.

Under the TFTEA, CBP has taken an increasingly enforcement-minded posture to prevent and penalize the importation of goods produced using forced labor into the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a Department-wide strategy to combat human trafficking, child exploitation and forced labor in the supply chain. 

Importers of known industries where North Korean forced labor is used, such as footwear, textiles, seafood, mining, pharmaceuticals, and logging, must exert caution or be prepared to face the consequences.

The Trade Facilitation and Enforcement Act of 2015 repealed the “consumptive demand” exemption to the ban on imports made by “forced labor.” The repeal became effective on March 10, 2016.