The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its largest batch of additions to the list of companies blocked under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the form of a sweep of the Chinese textile industry.
The DHS added 26 China-based textile companies to the UFLPA Entity List, thus restricting their goods from entering the United States. The expansion to the list, announced Thursday and effective Friday, nearly doubled its size to 65 entities designated since the law was signed in December 2021.
“Today’s announcement strengthens our enforcement of the UFLPA and helps responsible companies conduct due diligence so that, together, we can keep the products of forced labor out of our country,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a press release.
The move is the latest to up scrutiny of textiles originating from the Xinjiang region of China, where Uyghur forced labor is alleged to be rampant. The DHS announced last month a new strategy under which it would close a loophole allowing certain textile-related shipments from China to enter the United States without scrutiny by claiming a de minimis exemption.
“We will continue to execute on our textile enforcement strategy and hold the [People’s Republic of China] accountable for their exploitation and abuse of the Uyghur people,” said Mayorkas.
Of the 26 entities designated, 21 were found to have sourced and sold cotton from Xinjiang on the wholesale market, the DHS said. The five other entities were also found to source cotton from Xinjiang.
The updated UFLPA Entity List includes entities comprising the apparel, agriculture, polysilicon, plastics, chemicals, batteries, household appliances, electronics, and food additives sectors.
No comments yet