Trade News Snapshot - Volume 6, Issue 7

• Contents

• EAC's Message
• Office of Trade Activity
  • DHS Secretary Mayorkas meets with textile industry leaders
  • EAC Highsmith addresses United States Fashion Industry Association
  • CBP celebrates 235th Customs anniversary
• Outreach
  • CBP and Homeland Security Investigations discuss enhancing intellectual property rights enforcement and counterfeit prevention 
• News You Can Use
  • Imposition of import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material of Tunisia
  • Norfolk CBP seizes counterfeit air conditioners from China
  • Louisville CBP seizes three shipments of counterfeit goods worth over $10 million
  • COAC approves 45 recommendations during public meeting
  • CBP seizes counterfeit products valued at over $500K at Rochester port of entry
  • CBP captures 90 slimy giant snails at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
  • Norfolk CBP officers capture counterfeit hair dryers
• Trade Statistics
  • Monthly Trade Statistics

Office of Trade Activity

DHS Secretary Mayorkas meets with textile industry leaders

On July 23, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro N. Mayorkas met with leaders from the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), which represents an array of companies from the U.S. textile and apparel industry. NCTO members updated Secretary Mayorkas on the continuing pressures facing the U.S. textile industry and commended DHS for actions taken under the textile enforcement plan, which was first announced in April 2024. Secretary Mayorkas highlighted DHS actions cracking down on violative textile imports and recommitted to working closely with Administration partners, the White House, and Congress to address enforcement in the de minimis environment. 

EAC Highsmith addresses United States Fashion Industry Association

On July 17, EAC Highsmith addressed members of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) – an organization that represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers − at their Washington Trade Symposium. In her remarks, EAC Highsmith detailed CBP’s commitment to robust textiles enforcement and to more sustainable customs practices. She also stressed the importance of supply chain traceability and transparency for USFIA members. She mentioned several ways that USFIA and other industry members can support CBP efforts, noting that collaboration between industry and the agency is critical. She urged USFIA members to help facilitate the flow of information to identify potential violators and expose evasion schemes, and to communicate with CBP about industry incentives that would help to facilitate greener trade. 

CBP celebrates 235th customs anniversary

On July 31, we honored the 235th anniversary of the U.S. Customs Service. When it was first established in 1789, the U.S. Customs Service was vital to our young nation’s economic survival as a key revenue collector for the country. It also helped to unify the colonies. Today, this legacy survives through CBP’s trade mission.

Over the years, U.S. Customs has adapted to evolving challenges while maintaining its essential function in regulating trade and collecting revenue. This evolution has expanded its mission to include combating forced labor and supporting green trade – commitments to ethical and sustainable practices that’s transformed CBP’s mission and global impact.  

Today, CBP’s mission includes more activities than customs officials 200 years ago could have ever imagined. CBP facilitates more than $9 billion in imported goods daily, upholds approximately 500 trade laws, and protects Americans from dangerous imports. CBP’s customs work ensures the integrity of global supply chains and supports economic growth through modernization initiatives. 

CBP’s customs efforts directly impact the safety and quality of goods consumers use every day. By enforcing trade laws and preventing the entry of illicit goods, CBP protects consumers and supports American businesses. 

This mission set is what puts the “customs” in U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This anniversary not only celebrates U.S. Customs’ history, but also reaffirms its ongoing and evolving mission. 

Happy 235th birthday, U.S. Customs Service!
 

Outreach

CBP and Homeland Security Investigations discuss enhancing intellectual property rights enforcement and counterfeit prevention 

On July 22, representatives from CBP and Homeland Security Investigations attended the “Guardians of Innovation: Combatting IPR Crimes” event at Pfizer’s headquarters in New York City. The event convened officials from the U.S. Government, the non-profit sector, as well as pharmaceutical companies to discuss efforts to disrupt and dismantle criminal counterfeiting networks and to strengthen global supply chain security in the pharmaceutical sector. This issue is crucial amid the dramatic rise in the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical equipment as well as trade import violations of drugs claiming to be legitimate treatment options since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Participants at the event discussed the potential for artificial intelligence technology to address these challenges by improving data analysis capabilities. They also noted that machine learning technologies could not only be harnessed by private sector pharmaceutical companies for IPR enforcement, but also incorporated into U.S. trade policy as a key tool to combat counterfeiting and piracy practices.  

Participants agreed on the importance of working together to combat counterfeits in this space. One way the public and private sector will continue to partner on this issue is through the promotion of CBP’s “The Truth Behind Counterfeits” campaign and the many resources available to the public through the joint “Shop Smart” initiative, which is scheduled for dissemination across a variety of digital platforms during the back to school and holiday seasons.
 

News You Can Use

• Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological and Ethnological Material of Tunisia

• Norfolk CBP seizes counterfeit air conditioners from China

• Louisville CBP seizes three shipments of counterfeit goods worth over $10 million

• COAC approves 45 recommendations during public meeting

• CBP seizes counterfeit products valued at over $500K at Rochester port of entry

• CBP captures 90 slimy giant snails at Detroit Metropolitan Airport

• Norfolk CBP officers capture counterfeit hair dryers

Trade Statistics

Month Trade Statistics

In June 2024, CBP processed more than 2.8 million entry summaries valued at over $272.1 billion, identifying estimated duties of nearly $6.7 billion to be collected by the U.S. government. Trade via the ocean environment accounted for 42.2 percent of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail. CBP identified 291 entries valued at more than $39 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor, and which may be subject to a Withhold Release Order, Forced Labor Finding, or the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s rebuttable presumption prohibiting importation into the United States.

CBP seized nearly 1,501 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $395 million. CBP also completed 19 audits that identified $9 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government for goods that had been improperly declared.