On November 7, 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced an updated Informed Compliance Publication, “What Every Importer Should Know: Reasonable Care.” The newly published information includes a section on forced labor, which reminds importers to exercise care to avoid forced labor in their supply chains.
The Reasonable Care Informed Compliance Publication provides updated guidance and information, including questions for the importer to help determine if the manufacturer used forced labor in producing the imported merchandise. CBP reaffirms that the importer is still responsible to “exercise reasonable care and take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that goods entering the United States comply with all laws and regulations, including 19 USC § 1307 and The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.” The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) prohibits entry into the United States of merchandise produced with North Korean forced labor.
CBP has published their press release here:
The updated Reasonable Care Informed Compliance Publication can be found here:
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Oct/Reasonable%20Care%20FINAL.pdf
CBP had additional information on Forced Labor here:
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/trade-community/programs-outreach/convict-importations