In a letter published on April 26, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a new benefit for Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) participants. According to the letter, “This benefit states that CTPAT Trade Compliance program will provide, to the best of the program’s ability, advanced notice of a possible hold, detention, exclusion, and/or seizure of merchandise after the entry is filed for cargo arriving in the United States and subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).” This notification will be sent via email to the points of contact listed in the participant’s CTPAT account.

The letter can be found here:

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2023-Apr/Letter%20from%20the%20Director-CTPAT%20TC%20New%20Benefit%20Advanced%20Hold%20Notification%20March%202023_0.pdf

More information about CTPAT can be found here:

https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/cargo-security/CTPAT

CBP’s forced labor resources can be found here:

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/withhold-release-orders-and-findings

More information on forced labor can be found on our website here:

https://www.expeditors.com/services/customs-compliance/forced-labor-enforcement-actions