U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on 13th this month that since October last year, Customs officers have seized textile and apparel worth over $100 million. For those importers attempted to evade textile quota through false declaration, contraband or illegal shipment.
U.S. Customs use a variety of means to implement the quota regulations. Import commissioners who handle the textile clearance (Import Specialists) take charge of analysis and review of imported apparel products. Customs train these officers in recent years on Free Trade Agreement (FTA), preventing illegal goods inflow from the countries signed free trade agreements with the United States. In addition, the United States Custom House also widely use laboratory to test the imported textile fiber component, in order to prevent importers from evading quota with false fiber component information.
Another effective means of enforcement is to inspect foreign garment factory on the spot. From last October, the United States Customs textile production inspectors have investigated 12 countries, nearly 450 garment factories, to confirm whether the name manufacturers are true or not.
The tariff on textile imports accounts for 43% of US customs revenue. 2006 is the most successful year of seizing illegal imported textile. W. Ralph Basham, the Director of the CBP, and the official on the textile affair Ms. Janet Labuda said U.S. Customs will continue to intensify efforts to combat textile imports of illegal quota evasion.
According to lawyer Li Xinyu, who specialized in the U.S. Customs Act business from Shanghai office of US Xiubo International Law Firm, textiles are to be detained and inspected before seized. Those apparel products which can t prove the origin producing area will be excluded by the United States Customs. If there are any other illegal activities, the goods will be seized. Thus the value of textile imports sampled by the United States Customs is actually far more than 100 million U.S. dollars. After administrative appeals process, parts of the seized textiles are released after paying a fine, allowing import or ordered export, and the remaining parts are confiscated by U.S. Customs.
