CBP to host virtual forced labor seminar for Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands importers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s San Juan Field Office extended today an invitation to importers and the business community to a virtual seminar regarding its enforcement of forced labor authorities. Forced labor established in Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1307), prohibits the importation of merchandise mined, produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in any foreign country by forced or indentured labor – including forced child labor.

"Importers and the business community in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands must be vigilant in their supply chains as CBP's stringent forced labor enforcement continues to evolve,” indicated Roberto Vaquero, Director of Field Operations in San Juan. “Compliance isn't just a legal requirement—it's a moral imperative that safeguards human rights.”

CBP’s forced labor enforcement mission supports ethical and humane trade while leveling the playing field for U.S. companies that respect fair labor standards. CBP is the only U.S. government agency, and one of the few in the world, with the legal authority to take enforcement action against goods produced with forced labor to prevent entry into domestic commerce.

For many years, enforcement of Section 307 was inhibited by the Consumptive Demand Clause, which stated that if certain goods were not domestically produced in sufficient quantities to meet U.S. consumer demand, such goods could be imported into the United States even if they were produced wholly or in part by forced labor. Congress repealed the Consumptive Demand Clause when it passed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA).

As of 2021, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that 27.6 million people around the globe were in forced labor situations. It is not unique to one country or commodity; it is a global problem. The ILO developed the 11 indicators to assist “front-line” officials, inspectors, trade union officers, non-governmental organization workers, and others to identify persons who are possibly trapped in a forced labor situation, and who may require urgent assistance. CBP looks to these 11 indicators as a guide when determining whether forced labor exists in the production of a particular good.

CBP implements its forced labor authorities through issuance of Withhold Release Orders (WRO) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), to prevent merchandise produced in whole or in part in a foreign country using forced labor from being imported into the United States.

The seminar will be held on Thursday August 29, at 9:30am.