U.S. Customs and Border Protection Expands List of Entities Suspected of Forced Labor in Show of Commitment to Increase Detentions

November 22nd - U.S Customs and Border Protection added 29 new companies to the Forced Labor Entities List, bringing the total number of entities to 107. They join a list of suppliers that CBP has identified as using forced labor and as a result, companies are banned from using these suppliers to make products bound for the US market.

23 of the newly listed companies make products that were not among CBP's previous high priority sectors (tomatoes, cotton, polysilicons, PVC, aluminum, and seafood). These include several entities that mine, smelt, and produce rare earth metals, as well as producers of walnuts, red dates, raisins, various natural oils, herbs, and plant extracts. 

In 2024 alone, CBP detained over 4,600 shipments on suspicion of forced labor valued at $1.73B, representing 83% growth from 2022, when statistics were first published. This marks a continued trend of accelerating enforcement of forced labor laws and increased scrutiny of a widening range of suppliers and products. Besides increasing the number of listed entities by almost threefold, 2024 marked the first expansion of high priority sectors since they were introduced. The addition of new entities and sectors underscores CBP's continued commitment to identifying forced labor in supply chains regardless of industry or region. 

A shipment detention or seizure by US Customs and Border Protection requires complete traceability of a shipment down to the raw material N-tier suppliers within 30 days. Sourcemap’s Mock Customs Detention Solution tests your supply chain's ability to provide the detailed documentation required to meet or exceed all North American and forthcoming European forced labor regulations. Learn more here or schedule time with one of our experts.