On March 5, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a fact sheet providing an overview of the modification and revocation process for Withhold Release Orders (WRO). Merchandise produced or manufactured by forced or indentured labor is prohibited from being imported into the U.S. CBP issues WROs to detain shipments of this prohibited merchandise.

According to the fact sheet, “Interested parties may request a WRO modification or revocation by providing evidence to CBP via cbpforcedlaborwro@cbp.dhs.gov showing the subject merchandise was not produced, manufactured, or mined using forced labor.” The fact sheet outlines the steps in this process, as well as the information and documentation required as evidence.

The fact sheet can be found here:

https://www.cbp.gov/document/fact-sheets/wro-modificationrevocation-processes-overview

More information on forced labor, including the forced labor indicators, can be found here:

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/forced-labor

CBP’s Withhold Release Orders can be found here:

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