U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detailed its progress regarding the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA) in a recent press release marking the two-year anniversary of the Act.
TFTEA aims to reshape, strengthen and modernize how CBP accomplishes its trade mission to ensure a fair and competitive trade environment for American businesses and the American people. The Act was the first comprehensive authorization of CBP since the Department of Homeland Security was created in 2003.
“Since its enactment two years ago, implementing the provisions of TFTEA has been a top priority for CBP,” CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said. “CBP has made significant progress in our efforts to protect American consumers and businesses from fraudulent trade activities while ensuring the swift flow of legitimate, fair, and safe imports entering the U.S. stream of commerce.”
The additional authorities provided under TFTEA have helped CBP, the agency said, to detain in collaboration with its interagency partners 57 shipments of goods, valued at $6.3 million, that are suspected of involving forced labor.
CBP also implemented a new mechanism that enables owners of unregistered copyrights whose application for registration is pending with the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) to record their online application with CBP. Once recorded, these unregistered copyrights receive the same border protection and enforcement benefits as copyrights that are registered with the USCO.
CBP used its TFTEA authorities to partner in February with Procter & Gamble (P&G) as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. Through the partnership, P&G is donating testing devices that CBP officers will use to prevent counterfeit P&G products from entering the United States.
The Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) of 2015 established formal procedures for the investigation of antidumping or countervailing duty evasion allegations against U.S. importers. Since EAPA came into force in August 2017, CBP has initiated 16 investigations and prevented the evasion of approximately $45 million in antidumping and countervailing duties annually.
“TFTEA provides CBP with new tools, authorities, and opportunities for private sector collaboration,” Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of Trade, said. “The Act strengthens CBP’s enforcement and facilitation efforts to address current trade risks and aligns our operations with today’s complex business environment.”