·
U.S.
Customs and Border Protection has issued two
Withhold Release Orders (WROs) against garments produced by:
o Needle Craft Ltd.
o Casual Wear Apparel LLC
·
Effective
immediately, U.S. customs officials at all ports of entry will detain garments produced by these two
factories.
·
The
WROs were issued under 19
U.S.C. § 1307, a U.S. law that prohibits the importation of
goods produced wholly or partly with forced labor.
·
When
CBP finds evidence indicating the use of forced labor
in production, it can block imports through a Withhold Release Order.
·
The
action follows a CBP investigation into labor
practices at the two Jordan-based garment manufacturers.
·
The
investigation relied on multiple sources of evidence, including:
o Media reports.
o Jordanian government documents.
o Company statements.
o Videos and photographs.
o Worker testimonies.
o NGO reports.
o Publicly available information.
·
CBP
concluded that workers at both factories were subjected to seven indicators of forced labor identified by the International
Labour Organization:
1. Retention of identity documents.
2. Excessive overtime.
3. Intimidation and threats.
4. Physical and sexual violence.
5. Withholding of wages.
6. Restriction of movement.
7. Abusive living and working conditions.
·
These
conditions suggested that workers were performing labor
involuntarily under threat of penalty, meeting the definition of forced labor.
·
CBP
found evidence that garments produced by these factories were being imported,
or were likely to be imported, into the United States.
·
Future
shipments from the two companies will be detained at U.S. ports.
·
Importers
whose shipments are detained may:
o Re-export the goods.
o Destroy the goods.
o Provide evidence demonstrating that the
products were not made using forced labor.
·
The
two new WROs are the fifth
and sixth forced-labor enforcement actions
taken by CBP during the current fiscal year.
·
Following
these actions, CBP now administers:
o 58 active Withhold Release Orders (WROs).
o 8 formal Findings under
U.S. forced-labor law.
·
CBP
receives forced labor allegations from:
o Government agencies.
o Non-governmental organizations.
o Media investigations.
o Members of the public.
·
Individuals
and organizations can report suspected forced-labor
imports through CBP's Forced Labor Allegation Portal.
The
United States has blocked imports from two Jordanian garment manufacturers
after finding evidence of multiple indicators of forced labor.
The move reflects CBP's expanding efforts to enforce supply-chain due diligence
and prevent products made under exploitative labor
conditions from entering the U.S. market.
[ABS News Service/24.06.2026]
Agency will detain imports
of garments produced using forced labor
U.S.
Customs and Border Protection issued two Withhold Release Orders against
garments produced by Needle Craft Ltd. and Casual Wear Apparel LLC
garment-manufacturing factories in Jordan. Effective immediately, CBP personnel
at all U.S. ports of entry will detain garments produced in Jordan by Needle
Craft and Casual Wear.
“CBP’s
forced labor enforcement exposes supply chains that
undermine the integrity of U.S. commerce,” said Executive Assistant
Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade Susan S. Thomas. “These actions mark
CBP’s fifth and sixth WROs this fiscal year, stopping more goods tied to
exploitative labor practices from entering U.S.
markets.”
Both
WROs were issued due to violations of 19 U.S.C. § 1307, the law prohibiting
goods made with forced labor from entering the United
States. When CBP has evidence indicating that imported goods
are made by forced labor, the
agency acts to detain those shipments through WROs.
Both
WROs are the result of a CBP investigation and review of information that
Needle Craft and Casual Wear use forced labor to
produce garments in Jordan. During its investigation, CBP analyzed the
following supporting evidence: media reports, official Jordanian
government documents, company statements, videos, photographs, victim
statements, public reports, and non-governmental organization statements.
Taken
together, the evidence demonstrated that workers at Needle
Craft and Casual Wear are subject to seven
International Labour Organization indicators of forced labor: retention of identity documents, excessive overtime,
intimidation and threats, physical and sexual violence, withholding of wages,
restriction of movement, and abusive living and working conditions. The facts
underlying these indicators show, by reasonable suspicion, that workers are
engaged in forced labor (i.e., work performed
involuntarily and under menace of penalty). Additionally, CBP trade
import data demonstrates that the goods are being, or are
likely to be, imported into the United States.
Both
WROs against Needle Craft and Casual Wear highlight CBP’s continued
efforts to combat forced labor. With this action, CBP
now oversees and enforces 58 WROs and eight Findings under 19 U.S.C. § 1307.
Importers
of detained shipments may seek to destroy or export their shipments or seek to
demonstrate that the merchandise was not produced with forced labor.
CBP
receives allegations of forced labor from a variety
of sources including government agencies, media, non-governmental
organizations, and members of the public. Any person or organization that has
reason to believe merchandise produced with forced labor
is being, or is likely to be, imported into the United States can report
allegations through CBP’s Forced Labor Allegation Portal.