A Canada-headquartered biotechnology company agreed to pay the Bureau of Industry and Security $685,051 after admitting to illegally exporting water quality testing and analytical instruments to Iran. BIS said the company knew the shipments violated U.S. export controls, adding that it worked to “conceal” the destination of the exports by falsely listing a United Arab Emirates freight forwarder as the ultimate consignee, undervalued the items to avoid UAE customs scrutiny, and left out references to Iran in the invoice.
CBP expects to continue to implement new Section 232 tariffs should the government shutdown persist past the effective date of any new tariffs, officials said on an Oct. 1 call with the trade to discuss the government shutdown. CBP also plans to implement expected tariffs, such as the ones for lumber and furniture that take effect Oct. 14, without delays.
The FDA issued a final rule Sept. 25 that will set a 10-day deadline for submissions of prior notices for food shipments refused because of no prior notice or an inaccurate one, and a 30-day deadline for submissions of food facility registrations (FFR) for shipments held because a facility is unregistered. The changes take effect Oct. 27.
As the trade braces for a possible government shutdown amid the budget impasse in Congress, federal agencies are dusting off their contingency plans while the trade association representing customs brokers continues to offer suggestions about which activities are deemed essential for trade compliance.
National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America leadership raised concerns about the Section 232 tariff inclusion process and plans for an external revenue service in recent meetings on Capitol Hill and with agency officials, NCBFAA customs counsel Lenny Feldman said in an interview.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will consider Nebraska man Byungmin Chae's appeal regarding one question on the April 2018 customs broker license exam without holding oral argument, according to a Sept. 19 notice from the court. The court said the case will be submitted to a three-judge panel on the court who will decide the appeal on the briefs only (Chae v. United States, Fed. Cir. # 25-1379).
Federal employees of CBP and other partner government agencies who are involved with import compliance should be designated with “excepted” or “essential” employee status in the event of a government shutdown, the head of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America recently urged Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought.
The end of the de minimis exemption could favor larger importers that are able to handle the additional data requirements while maintaining fast deliveries to consumers, according to Vince Iacopella, president of trade and government relations for Alba Wheels Up.
DHL Global Forwarding is hiring over 200 more staff members as part of a broader effort to expand its U.S. customs operations, according to a statement from DHL Global Forwarding CEO Tim Robertson provided to International Trade Today by DHL.
The Mexican government has introduced legislation to reform its customs laws, which would tighten compliance obligations, expand the use of digital tools, and increase liability for customs brokers and importers.