Latest news with #CBP
Fibre2Fashion
3 hours ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Trump unleashes global tariff reset, targets dozens of nations
US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, including allies and adversaries alike. The new tariffs will officially come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on August 7, following a last-minute delay from the originally announced start date of August 1, Trump said in a White House executive order on Thursday. Under the new regime, India will face a 25 per cent tariff, while Bangladesh (20 per cent), Vietnam (20 per cent), Indonesia (19 per cent), and Turkiye (15 per cent) are also among the affected countries. The European Union is subject to a variable rate: for products with current US duty rates below 15 per cent, the tariff will be adjusted to make up the difference to reach 15 per cent; goods above that threshold will remain unchanged. To prevent circumvention, transhipped goods will now face a 40 per cent duty, and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will publish a list of known transhipment sites biannually to inform future enforcement and procurement decisions. US President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, effective August 7. India faces a 25 per cent rate, with Bangladesh and Vietnam taxed 20 per cent. The EU gets variable rates, and transhipped goods face a 40 per cent duty. The move, under emergency trade powers, targets nations unwilling to negotiate or align with US economic and security interests. The new White House executive order is issued under powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trade Act of 1974. These changes follow April's Executive Order 14257, which declared a national emergency over chronic US goods trade deficits. The updated action targets countries that, according to the administration, have either refused to negotiate, offered inadequate terms, or failed to align with US economic and security interests. Countries that have reached—or are close to finalising—agreements with the US will continue to be assessed provisional tariffs until those deals are concluded. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
Epoch Times
6 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Customs Officers Plead Guilty to Allowing Cartels to Smuggle Drugs Into US
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo pleaded guilty to conspiring with members of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization, federal prosecutors said on July 28. Garcia and Bonillo admitted to deliberately allowing vehicles carrying drugs to enter the United States without undergoing an inspection.
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
US end of parcel tax relief threatens eBay, Etsy trade
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON/NEW YORK - Americans shopping for secondhand, vintage or handmade items on platforms like eBay and Etsy face steep customs duties on international purchases in August, potentially hurting trade on those peer-to-peer sites. In a surprise move late on July 30, US President Donald Trump ordered the removal of 'de minimis' duty-free treatment on parcels under US$800 (S$1,000) from all countries, starting Aug 29 - bringing forward a change previously set for July 2027. The acceleration follows pressure from groups that argue the exemption facilitates fentanyl smuggling and has led to a flood of cheap products entering the US duty-free, undermining US retailers and manufacturers. Mr Trump ended duty-free access for low-value parcels from China and Hong Kong at the start of May, disrupting ecommerce flows for online retailers like Shein and Temu. According to Customs and Border Protection, 1.36 billion shipments entered the US under de minimis in 2024, for a total value of US$64.6 billion. eBay and Etsy were among US businesses that spoke out against the policy when CBP asked for feedback on the proposal to remove de minimis. 'These exemptions are a powerful tool that helps small creators, artisans, and makers participate in and navigate cross-border trade,' Etsy's global head of public policy and advocacy, Mr Jeffrey Zubricki, wrote in a submission to CBP in March. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 'For one last time, let's go home': Tears, laughs as last scheduled Jetstar Asia flight touches down Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights Singapore 5 foreign women suspected of trafficking 27kg of cocaine nabbed in Changi Airport Singapore Fallen tree branch damages two Yishun flats, showering one home owner in shattered glass Singapore Man accused of raping woman who hired him to fix lights in her flat claims she made first move Singapore 1 ticket wins $12.8 million Toto jackpot draw Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' 'Many American Etsy sellers rely on de minimis to import and export products with key trading partners, sustaining their businesses and generating income to support their families.' The majority of Etsy's 5.6 million active sellers and nearly 90 million buyers are in the US. Etsy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on July 31. eBay also urged the customs agency to reconsider, arguing that de minimis gives American consumers access to 'a global market to find value at lower prices, particularly for used goods and a unique, collectible inventory that is not available domestically'. In a results call on July 30, eBay chief executive officer Jamie Iannone flagged the elimination of de minimis outside of China as a potential disruption that may impact revenue. eBay did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Goods shipped through the postal system will face one of two tariffs: either an 'ad valorem duty' equal to the effective tariff rate of the package's country of origin or, for six months, a specific tariff of US$80 to US$200 depending on the country of origin's tariff rate. It is the latest headache for small businesses grappling with hefty import tariffs imposed by Mr Trump, driving up costs, forcing many to hike prices and fuelling concerns that Americans will be paying more for everyday goods. 'The complexity of doing business with the US has gone to levels nobody could have imagined,' said Mr Andrew Wilson, deputy secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce. He also questioned whether US authorities can handle the tariff collections, potentially leading to delays and backlogs. 'Is border trade equipped to manage the checks and duties collection? If not, what happens with customs backlogs? It's a huge additional burden from next month,' said Mr Wilson. REUTERS
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The Independent
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Exclusive: Aspiring CBP officer sues after being rejected over ‘religious' ayahuasca tea use
An aspiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer is suing after getting rejected for the job by admitting she consumes ayahuasca during biweekly religious ceremonies. Juliana Reis, a Brazilian-American member of União do Vegetal, a Christian reincarnationist sect that regularly drinks a sacramental ayahuasca tea to, the group contends, 'heighten spiritual understanding and perception, and bring the practitioners closer to God.' The tea contains various compounds and often produces a hallucinogenic experience. 'Religious practitioners ritually prepare the tea and consider it sacred, much as Catholics believe the wine and host they take at communion to be holy,' according to União do Vegetal, otherwise known as UDV. But when Reis revealed this during the pre-employment polygraph exam that all CBP applicants undergo, the job offer was withdrawn, according to a federal religious discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday. DHS policy disqualifies any job-seekers who have used a substance classified as a Schedule I drug – which the tea contains – within the three years preceding their submission of an employment application. In 2006, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of UDV members to import and use ayahuasca, which contains the powerful hallucinogen DMT, ending a years-long dispute between the church and the federal government. The UDV uses a tea called hoasca, or, ayahuasca, as a religious sacrament, Reis' complaint explains. Ayahuasca tea is prepared by brewing two plants together with water, one of which contains dimethyltryptamine – DMT – a drug regulated under the Controlled Substances Act. However, the Department of Homeland Security, of which CBP is a component agency, still considers the drug's use to be disqualifying, even though Reis emphasized that she did so 'for spiritual purposes only,' according to her suit, which names Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem as the sole defendant. 'Her religious practice is recognized as something very similar to Native Americans with peyote,' attorney Kevin Owen, one of the lawyers representing Reis, told The Independent. 'We think that DHS has made a wrong decision here, and that our client shouldn't have been denied a job with CBP just because of her religious observance.' Owen said that UDV's ayahuasca use is a 'bona fide' spiritual custom, and that the Trump administration has professed a strong commitment to religious accommodation – which is what Reis, who was turned down by CBP under the Biden administration, is now seeking. In May, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order establishing a so-called Religious Liberty Commission, intended to guard against 'threats' to unfettered religious practice. 'It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law,' Trump's EO read. 'The Founders envisioned a Nation in which religious voices and views are integral to a vibrant public square and human flourishing and in which religious people and institutions are free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or hostility from the Government.' According to Owen, there are very few cases that are as clear-cut as the one he and co-counsel Gary Gilbert and Brian Sutherland are bringing on behalf of Reis. 'A lot of times, it's muddier, or a bit grey,' he said. 'I don't think the facts here will be in dispute.' CBP and a spokesperson from Noem's office did not respond to requests for comment. Reis was born in Espirito Santo, Brazil and became a naturalized American citizen in 2009. She became a devoted follower of UDV, which was founded in Brazil in 1961 and now includes more than 21,000 adherents in 11 countries, about 10 years ago, according to her complaint. Reis' congregation in Boca Raton, Florida, meets biweekly, usually on the first and third Saturdays of the month, although it 'sometimes holds extra services,' the complaint goes on. 'Like the other members of the UDV, Ms. Reis participates in the sacramental use of ayahuasca when she attends UDV services,' it says. 'When she drinks ayahuasca tea, she feels the effect of DMT, the active psychotropic ingredient, but she drinks it only for sacramental purposes.' The UDV's use of ayahuasca is legal under federal law, which provides an exemption under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, according to the complaint. In October 2018, some three years after Reis joined the UDV, Reis applied for a position as a CBP officer. On December 4, 2018, the complaint says she received a provisional employment offer from CBP at the GS-7 pay rate, which comes with a starting salary of just over $40,000. To complete the process, Reis would be required to undergo a pre-employment procedure consisting of a medical exam, fitness exam, drug test, structured interview, polygraph exam and background investigation, the complaint states, noting that Reis successfully passed the medical and fitness exams, along with the interview. Next, Reis was scheduled to sit for the polygraph, known colloquially as a 'lie detector test,' which she did in March 2021, according to the complaint. 'Ms. Reis was asked several questions about drug use during the exam,' the complaint states. 'When the polygraph examiner asked her about [her] use of psychoactive substances, she disclosed her membership in the UDV and explained her religious use of ayahuasca.' The polygraph examiner asked 'extensive questions' about the UDV, all of which Reis answered fully, and later told her she 'was doing well,' the complaint contends. During a lunch break, the complaint says the examiner contacted an adjudicator at CBP's Personnel Security Division to inquire about Reis' use of ayahuasca. The adjudicator told the polygraph examiner that 'the admission to recent drug use disqualified Ms. Reis,' and when Reis returned from lunch, she was informed that the test was over, the complaint states. 'At this time, Ms. Reis executed a voluntary written statement for the report of the exam, which explained that she was a 'member of the Uniao do Vegetal…' that her church imports the ayahuasca from Brazil, and that she drinks the tea only at church services and 'for spiritual purposes only,'' according to the complaint. Still, it says, on April 1, 2021, DHS officially found Reis 'unsuitable' for employment with CBP, and four days later sent her an email telling her that the tentative job offer had been rescinded over her ayahuasca use. She subsequently appealed to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, unsuccessfully, to intervene, with their final decision coming on May 8, 2025. Reis then filed suit. Reis' adherence to 'the precepts of the UDV Church, including the regular consumption of sacramental ayahuasca tea,' has been recognized as lawful by the Supreme Court and is protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,the complaint maintains. At the same time, it alleges that CBP 'refused to consider [Reis] for employment because of her religious belief and practice,' and wanted to 'avoid providing her with reasonable religious accommodation.' This, the complaint argues, constitutes religious discrimination in violation of Title VII and accuses CBP of acting 'in bad faith and in willful and wanton disregard for [Reis'] federally protected rights.' 'When we went thru the EEOC process and got an administrative decision that wasn't what we had hoped for, we figured we had to go to district court,' Owen, Reis' the attorney, told The Independent. 'She has a sincerely held religious belief, and therefore it's going to be covered by Title VII.' On Monday, one day before Reis filed suit, the Trump administration further expanded religious liberties for government workers, allowing federal personnel to proselytize on the job. 'Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,' U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said in a press release. 'This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths. Under President Trump's leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.' The federal government 'is supposed to be a model employer,' according to Owen, noting that he hopes Reis' lawsuit will spur wider changes for public-sector workers. 'Our client wants to make this situation a case not only vindicating her rights, but also for other people to make sure their religious practices aren't violated under the law,' Owen said. Reis says in her suit that she has suffered 'emotional distress, inconvenience, humiliation, and other indignities' as a result of the 'discriminatory conduct' by CBP and DHS. She is now seeking damages, to be determined by a jury, for lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages, and punitive damages, plus attorney's fees and court costs.
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Business Standard
12 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
US importers in limbo as chaotic Trump tariffs lack clear guidance
President Donald Trump entered office in January pledging to unleash prosperity by raising tariffs and cutting red tape. Six months later, the back-office systems connecting the US and global economies face their toughest test yet against an onslaught of both. Importers, customs brokers and the broader logistics industry are bracing for a deluge of fine print on tariffs before Friday, when Trump has pledged higher country-specific duties amid a number of import taxes targeted at certain products and materials. Hours before the deadline, key details needed to keep goods flowing and the paper trail compliant are unclear: What will dozens of still-unspecified levies be, will they apply to merchandise already in transit, and how and when will some of Trump's recent deals be implemented? 'If there is no formal notification before Aug. 1, does that mean the current rates are being assessed? The April 2 tariff rates? We don't know,' said Cindy Allen, chief executive officer of Trade Force Multiplier LLC, an international trade and customs consulting firm. US Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency that enforces tariffs and the nation's trade laws, can't implement anything based on Trump's letters, Truth Social posts or administration fact sheets that have outlined his negotiated deals and unilateral pronouncements. CBP needs a more formal notice, such as an executive order or proclamation. 'Around the Clock' After months of trying to keep up with quick-changing rules, the importers-of-record that actually pay tariffs — not US trading partners, as Trump often claims — worry about penalties and surprise bills that can run into the millions of dollars. For many, it's impossible to know where and when to send their next purchase orders, much less plan capital investments. In addition to making customs declarations, brokers now 'are really in the weeds with advising clients in how to comply with the regulations and changing tariffs, but also looking at strategies on how to reduce the tariffs, mitigate the tariffs, delay the tariffs,' said William Jansen, head of customs brokerage at SEKO Logistics. 'It's around the clock.' Once an official decree comes, CBP reprograms its software platform known as ACE — short for Automated Commercial Environment. Big companies typically have direct connections to ACE, while smaller ones often use customs brokerages. If the only update is to various countries' tariff rate, it could be an easy change. 'That's just updating one number with another. That can happen in a few hours,' Allen said. What Trump has proposed for Aug. 1 is potentially far more complex than that — a patchwork consisting of new levies for nations and specific ones for certain goods like autos, steel and copper, as well as relief for goods under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The customs software that went from just a few lines in Trump's first term are getting retooled overnight to handle dozens of tariff codes. On Thursday, he announced a 90-day extension for Mexico, posting the news on his Truth Social page. 'Fully Equipped' CBP says it's ready to enforce Trump's tariffs despite the ticking clock. 'Serving on America's frontline, CBP strictly enforces all laws and Presidential directives to secure our economic sovereignty,' CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said Wednesday. 'CBP is fully equipped and ready to implement and enforce the President's tariffs using all our legal authorities for tariff enforcement and revenue collection.' At the same time, CBP is policing businesses more aggressively to ensure they classify their goods correctly, pay the appropriate amount in taxes and provide details on the country of origin, potentially right down to the component. Failure to comply can result in even greater fees and penalties. 'We're correcting customs every day on scenarios where they mistakenly requesting additional duty when it should be due. And I can't blame them. Their job has gotten more complicated too,' Jansen said. Jose Gonzalez, president of the Washington-based National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Inc., said the industry expects to get specific guidance from CBP on Thursday, while some are also 'hoping for an extension.' 'We have a feeling they'll be ready – we just want to make sure they're accurately ready,' Gonzalez said. 'Sometimes they leave out details because of the fact that it's a live update.' CBP has had to work out the details on the fly before. Mollie Sitkowski, a Chicago-based trade compliance partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, has a client who owes several million dollars from taking an exemption they didn't know they were taking because customs software accepted entries it wasn't supposed to. 'Customs didn't keep up with it, the broker didn't keep up with it and the importer didn't even know it was happening,' she said. 'Then at the end of May, customs comes back and says 'you owe this money.'' A similar situation is playing out with the aluminum and steel tariffs, which went live before the details on derivatives and components were hashed out. Importers are doing their best to hedge against the turmoil, according to Eytan Buchman, chief marketing officer at Freightos Group, which runs a cargo booking platform. 'Plenty are breaking loads into pallet-sized or airfreight moves instead of full containers to dodge the cash-crunch of one big customs bill,' he said. Importers must show they took 'reasonable care' to interpret the tariff rates and apply them to their shipments. Tom Gould, CEO of Tom Gould Customs Consulting Inc. in Seattle, said 'importers are struggling more today with understanding the rules than they are with paying the tariffs.' Trump's unpredictability makes it tough to plan. 'I type an email to a client with a certain percentage and it makes me look like an idiot because before they've even read it, he's said something else,' said Paul Diedrich, director of trade services at Ardent Global Logistics, whose clients are mostly small- and medium-sized business. Diedrich said he's part of an informal support group with a handful of brokers and trade attorneys that wanted a 'safe place to vent.' US PREVIEW: IEEPA Takedown? Trump's Favored Trade Weapon at Risk Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is holding a hearing Thursday on the legality of a huge swath of tariffs that Trump justified by invoking emergency powers, including the country-by-country rates due out Friday. If those are ultimately ruled illegal, CBP will likely need to issue refunds for all revenue collected under the so-called reciprocal tariffs, though the process for doing so is unclear.
