The Trump administration has unveiled a robust initiative aimed at bolstering protections for American workers while targeting Chinese imports linked to forced labor.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor announced a strategic plan to enhance national security by focusing on specific sectors under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). This legislation, enacted in 2022, seeks to curb the influx of goods produced through forced labor in China's Xinjiang region.
According to American Military News, the DHS has identified copper, lithium, steel, caustic soda, and red dates as high-priority sectors for enforcement under the UFLPA. The Department of Labor has also introduced a new enforcement strategy for 2025, designed to fortify the act's implementation and prevent products made with Chinese forced labor from entering the United States.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, "America First means keeping foreign goods made with forced labor off our shelves and ensuring American businesses arent put at a disadvantage." She further noted that the strategy equips enforcement agencies with the necessary tools to address trade abuses that distort markets and harm American workers.
The Department of Labor has updated the UFLPA Entity List, which currently includes 144 entities. Meanwhile, the DHS reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has intercepted over 16,700 shipments as part of the UFLPA enforcement efforts. Of these, more than 10,000 shipments have been denied entry into the United States, effectively blocking nearly $900 million worth of illegal goods from penetrating the American market.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem underscored the moral, economic, and national security imperatives of eradicating threats that undermine the nation's prosperity. "America has a moral, economic, and national security duty to eradicate threats that endanger our nations prosperity, including unfair trade practices that disadvantage the American people and stifle our economic growth," she stated.
Noem further asserted, "The Trump administration is taking action. The use of slave labor is repulsive and we will hold Chinese companies accountable for abuses and eliminate threats its forced labor practices pose to our prosperity."
This decisive move by the Trump administration reflects a commitment to safeguarding American interests and ensuring a level playing field for domestic businesses. By targeting forced labor practices, the administration aims to protect American workers and uphold the nation's economic integrity.
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