Trump orders strengthening of customs enforcement to prevent unlawful imports and ensure duty collection.

Trump orders strengthening of customs enforcement to prevent unlawful imports and ensure duty collection.

[STRENGTHENING CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT] By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby determine and order: Section 1. Purpose. Customs enforcement is essential to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Effective customs enforcement prevents the importation of unlawful and dangerous goods; ensures importers of record (IORs) are correctly identified and accountable for duties owed; and guarantees compliance with numerous Federal laws, including laws governing forced labor, rules of origin, origin marking, intellectual property, revenue collection, and product safety. Customs reform is long overdue.  Systemic inefficiencies, loopholes, insufficient enforcement mechanisms, and outdated processes have created opportunities for malign actors to evade Federal law.  Examples of noncompliance include undervaluing imports, withholding critical information about IORs and the goods being imported, and avoiding payment of duties through various arrangements and schemes.  These actions threaten national security, undermine foreign relations, disadvantage domestic businesses, and harm Americans. The United States must strengthen its customs enforcement through comprehensive reform, including through agency action and legislation.  Such reform should focus on protecting national security, promoting lawful trade, ensuring the timely collection of duties, modernizing systems and processes, bolstering compliance mechanisms, increasing transparency, and protecting Americans and the domestic economy. Sec. 2. Importers of Record. (a) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall, pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 66, 1484, 1498, 1623, 1624, and 4320, and any other applicable law, take steps to revise importer eligibility regulations, guidance, and policies consistent with the policy of this order. These revisions shall include: (i)    requiring that an IOR maintain at all times a minimum level of tangible domestic assets, bonding, or both, as determined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be necessary to ensure compliance with U.S. customs and trade laws, and increasing the minimum required bond coverage for an IOR; (ii)   requiring that an IOR be designated and reported to CBP, and that a bond, or sufficient tangible domestic assets, or both, be required, for all formal entries under 19 U.S.C. 1484 and informal entries under regulations promulgated pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1498; and (iii)  requiring that an IOR provide to CBP additional data and identification information, including anticipated import volumes, year organized, ownership and beneficial ownership disclosures, business affiliation disclosures, and domestic asset disclosures, and any other data that CBP deems necessary. (b)(i)  Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 66, 1484, 1498, 1623, 1624, and 4320, and any other applicable law