U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) held calls on October 1 and October 6, 2025, to discuss its operations during the government shutdown, which began October 1.
During the October 6 call, CBP announced that it is not issuing refunds and payments from the Treasury Department during the government shutdown, including refunds on drawback claims
In a CSMS message posted July 9, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that, effective immediately, all shipments of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must be subject to FDA-review upon importation.
Imported goods are subject not only to U.S. customs laws, but also to any applicable requirements and
The Trump administration continues to raise the stakes for importers and other actors in the international trade space. Bloomberg Law reports that the Department of Justice has tasked its MIMF (Market Integrity and Major Frauds) Unit with investigating fraud schemes by companies dodging U.S. tariffs. The MIMF Unit is already well-versed in financial fraud investigations
On June 23, 2025, the Ninth Circuit issued a long-awaited decision in Island Industries Inc. v. Sigma Corp. affirming a $26M False Claims Act (“FCA”) judgment against the defendant importer. Sigma had appealed the judgment after a jury found the company violated the FCA by failing to pay customs duties owed to U.S. Customs
On February 3, President Trump confirmed reports of a one-month pause for the implementation of 25% tariffs on imported products of Mexico, following a conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico during which Sheinbaum agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican National Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist with fentanyl interdiction and illegal migration.
This
On Saturday, February 1, 2025, President Trump signed three Executive Orders (“EOs”) following through with the promised tariffs targeting products of Canada, Mexico and China (the “February 1 EOs”), and the White House issued a supporting informational fact sheet.
The United States will impose 25% tariffs on all products of Mexico and Canada
On his first day in office, President Trump rolled out a sprawling set of directives to the heads of numerous government agencies charged with shaping U.S. trade policy. While stopping short of enacting new tariffs, the Presidential Memorandum defining an “America First Trade Policy” lays the investigative groundwork for potentially sweeping changes to tariffs and
On January 21, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would make goods subject to tariffs under Sections 232, 201, and 301 ineligible for the de minimis duty exemption under the Section 321 Program, which allows imported shipments not exceeding $800 to enter the United States duty-free. To
On October 15, 2024, the Office of the United States Representative (“USTR”) announced a new process for interested parties to request temporary exclusion from Section 301 duties on certain Chinese-origin goods. The new exclusion process is limited, but key for stakeholders with a nexus to domestic manufacturing in the United States. Exclusions may apply for
On December 8, Senate Finance Committee members Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the “Customs Modernization Act of 2023.” The act, which would amend the Tariff Act of 1930 “to strengthen the authorities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to enforce the customs and trade laws of the United States,” enhances CBP’s