Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has joined forces with Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) to call for bolstered enforcement measures for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). In a letter addressed to Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the lawmakers put forth their suggestions for reinforcing the enforcement of the UFLPA.
According to a press release from the Select Committee on the CCP, these recommendations follow reports that some companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have not been included in the "UFLPA Entity List." These companies may continue to exploit a de minimis loophole to import goods into the United States that are produced using forced labor. The same press release indicates that there is also an alleged lack of full enforcement of the UFLPA due to failure to "fully prosecute or otherwise deter transshipment of forced labor goods through third countries."
In their letter, as reported by a press release from the Select Committee on the CCP, they wrote: "We believe that several factors seriously undermine the effective enforcement of the UFLPA. The first of these is that companies transfer forced laborers from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) to other regions in PRC, complicating DHS enforcement of the presumptive ban on forced labor products from XUAR. Thus, there is an urgent need to expand the UFLPA Entity List to include numerous companies and entities located outside XUAR because of their affiliation with companies and entities in this region, particularly those involved in seafood, gold, and critical minerals industries."
The US implemented UFLPA on June 21, 2022. This law enables officials to prevent imports linked in any way with forced labor in China. According to an article from Human Rights Watch, China has subjected individuals, including the Uyghur population, to forced labor. This practice has reportedly affected approximately one million people, imposing forced labor on detainees and others both within and outside Xinjiang.
The lawmakers have suggested several steps to address this issue. These include "Adding companies outside PRC that profit from the use of Uyghur forced labor to the UFLPA Entity List," "Exponentially increasing testing of goods at ports of entry for UFLPA violations," and "Enhancing collaboration between DHS and other federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice, to better prosecute and assess penalties against UFLPA violators," according to a press release from the Select Committee on the CCP.
The Select Committee on the CCP is chaired by Gallagher and was established to counteract the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bipartisan committee is committed to "working on a bipartisan basis to build consensus on the threat posed by CCP and develop a plan of action to defend American people, economy, and values". Its members include Representatives Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Jake Auchincloss (Mass.), among others, according to information provided by the Select Committee on the CCP.
