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April 17, 2023 : US federal authorities have seized $961m worth of goods that they suspect have ties to forced labour since late June 2022, according to Customs and Border Protection Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith. Officials said that many companies whose supply chains have been tainted by forced labour have no idea of the problem. The enforcement falls under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed into law by President Joe Biden at the end of 2021. The law prohibits imported goods produced or sourced in China’s Xinjiang region. The most recent data from Customs and Border Protection showed that, in terms of value, the majority of shipments detained since last summer were not sent from China. The shipments were stopped because the goods were believed to have been made with raw materials from the Uyghur region, with Malaysia accounting for $461m worth of goods and Vietnam for $370m. Only about a third of detained shipments have been released to date.
