US Customs and Border Patrol Seizes First Shipment of Goods Produced by Forced Labor

US Customs and Border Patrol, for the first time since 2001, seized goods produced using forced labor. It was Rep. Kind’s hard work and legislation that allowed for the seizure of these items.

“The seizure of goods by Customs and Border Patrol is a great example of the real impact my legislation is having. We are finally able to seize goods that were manufactured by forced, child, and slave labor,” said Rep. Kind. “It is the responsibility of the United States to lead the way in setting labor standards on the products we accept, and these actions are a step in the right direction towards ending the exploitation of workers around the world.”

Earlier this year President Obama signed into law Rep. Kind’s legislation to amend the Tariff Act of 1930. The legislation closes an 85 year loophole that allowed the importation of goods produced using slave labor. This legislation was included in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015.