Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently posted a message to trade partners on their website from Manuel A. Garza, Jr., Director of Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) concerning three new benefits for those trade partners who are in compliance with newest requirements to keep forced labor out of the supply chain.
Those requirements, announced August 1, 2022, include risk-based mapping, code of conduct, evidence of implementation, due diligence and training, remediation planning, and shared best practices. For more on these, see the CTPAT Trade Compliance Handbook.
Per Director Garza’s message, these updated benefits for compliance are as follows:
Front of the Line Admissibility Review: CTPAT Trade Compliance partners who have shipments detained due to forced labor will have their admissibility packages prioritized for review by the appropriate Center of Excellence and Expertise (Center). The importer must assert that they are an active member CTPAT Trade Compliance program and request prioritized review at the time that supporting documentation is submitted to CBP. Upon this declaration, the Center should prioritize the processing of the package above other non-CTPAT Trade Compliance partner packages received within the Center Team or Division, to the best of their ability.
Redelivery Hold: CTPAT Trade Compliance partners who have shipments arrive at their facility that are later determined to be held due to ties to forced labor, where redelivery is normally requested, may hold their shipments intact at their facility, rather than redelivering the goods to CBP until an admissibility determination is made or until such time that a physical inspection is required.
Detained Withhold Release Order Shipments Move to Bonded Facility: CTPAT Trade Compliance partners who have a shipment detained by CBP due to a Withhold Release Order, will be allowed to move the goods to a bonded facility to be held intact until such time that an admissibility determination is made by CBP.
You can contact CTPAT with any questions here: [email protected] or reach out to your Sobel representative. Sobel licensed Customs brokers are focused on ensuring compliance with not just trade remedy provisions like forced labor and Section 301, but accurate classification and valuation keeping more money in your pocket rather than the government’s. Contact us today to see what we can do together.
