CBP will “soon” provide more information on who is participating in a task force of industry representatives and government officials developing a new customs legislative framework as part of CBP’s 21st Century Customs Framework, said Garrett Wright, who leads the effort as director of trade modernization at CBP’s Office of Trade.
Former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, testifying at a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, said that in order to implement more withhold release orders, the Department of Homeland Security needs more resources to do investigations in the foreign countries where forced labor is alleged.
CBP posted multiple documents ahead of the June 23 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting:
The Treasury Department published its spring 2021 regulatory agenda for CBP. The agenda includes some details about a proposal to change USMCA rules for non-preferential origin determinations for merchandise imported from Canada or Mexico. The proposal was previously disclosed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, within the Office of Management and Budget (see 2105120051), where it remains under review.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet remotely June 23, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by June 22.
The Treasury Department held another discussion with industry on the impact of U.S. sanctions as the agency conducts a review of its sanctions regimes (see 2105280004). The meeting, held last week between Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and small-business representatives, included a discussion on how Treasury’s sanctions “play a role as small businesses seek to grow and expand,” the agency said June 2. “[T]hrough the sanctions review [Adeyemo] seeks to identify ways to strengthen the sanctions tool to best advance our national security, foreign policy, and economic objectives,” Treasury said. The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said June 7 that it participated in the discussion.
AIT Worldwide Logistics acquired Multimodal International, an Illinois-based U.S. customs broker, the companies said in a June 3 news release. Multimodal is "known for their deep industrial vertical knowledge, particularly in the automotive and chemical markets -- two sectors where AIT is strategically expanding," AIT Chief Information Officer Ray Fennelly said. "Bringing these experts into the AIT customs brokerage team adds immediate value for our customers in those industries, and many others.” Terms of the deal weren't released.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet remotely June 23, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by June 22.
CTPAT Participants Survey Shows Desire for More Communication, Continued Use of Remote Video Contact
Members of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program would like to see better communication and a continued reliance on virtual visits, the University of Houston Borders, Trade and Immigration Institute found in a recently released study. “CTPAT is already taking action to address areas of improvement found within the study such as providing increased training for [supply chain security specialists (SCSS)] and looking into a formal mechanism for collecting member feedback,” CTPAT Director-Office of Field Operations Manuel Garza said in a note to members. Garza said he plans to create an internal task force to review the findings.
Importers, exporters and customs brokers have until June 11 to file objections to the release of data on shipments of plants and wildlife regulated by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999 and from 2015 to 2020, FWS said in a notice on its website. The agency says it has received a Freedom of Information Act request for data on shipments in its Law Enforcement Management Information System database, and will release the data if no objections are received by that date.