The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has entered the year with a renewed commitment to crack down on imported goods produced by forced labor, a news release said.
As a result of CBP's recent findings of forced labor, merchandise from certain companies in Malaysia and Taiwan, has been detained or prohibited from sale in the United States. CBP also issued a new Withhold Release Order against Malaysia-based YTY Group to prevent import of suspect items, according to the news release.
"The dedicated CBP workforce has again taken significant action to combat forced labor and protect the human rights of workers around the world,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a Jan. 28 statement. “Today’s Withhold Release Order and forced labor findings are another important step toward ending these abhorrent practices."
The Withhold Release Order was issued "based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor in YTY Group’s manufacturing operations," the news release said. As of Jan. 28, CBP officers and import specialists have been ordered to detain disposable gloves produced in Malaysia by YTY, according to the release.
In addition, under the new forced labor findings, agents will immediately seize palm oil and merchandise containing palm oil traceable to a Malaysian company, Sime Darby, the news release said. Agents will also seize seafood harvested by a Taiwanese company, Yong Feng Fishery Ltd., the news release said.
CBP determined that Sime Darby and Da Wang, a fishing vessel owned by Yong Feng, relied on forced labor in relation to goods likely intended for import into the United States, the news release said.
In other recent action, the Department of Homeland Security has taken steps to further prevent forced labor and other types of human trafficking in all of its contracts and acquisitions with the designation of its chief procurement officer as the department's senior accountable official, Mayorkas said.
“CBP is entering the new year with a renewed commitment to investigating and enforcing the U.S. prohibition against importing goods made with forced labor,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said. “We will again dedicate significant resources to rooting out the evil and inhumane practices of forced labor."
