Late Monday, June 13, 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its long-anticipated Operational Importer Guidance to guide importers before the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enters into effect on June 21. As a reminder, beginning on that date, CBP will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods coming from the Xinjiang region violate a long-standing ban on the importation of goods made with forced, indentured, or prison labor.  CBP’s guidance is the first of documents expected to be released by federal government officials and provides preliminary background on the expected UFLPA’s process and enforcement, how to request exceptions to the rebuttable presumption, additional resources, and the types and nature of information that CBP may require.  The document is available on CBP’s website here.

No later than June 21, the Department of Homeland Security, which chairs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), is expected to release a broader strategy document required by UFLPA.  On June 23, we will be hosting a webinar on the FLETF strategy and CBP implementation efforts.  You can register here. We hope you can join us for this timely discussion.