U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Blocks Indonesian Palm Oil Over Forced Labor

· Action Taken: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued Withhold Release Orders (WROs) against palm oil and derivative products from Mitra Aneka Rezeki (MAR) and Hardaya Inti Plantation (HIP) in Indonesia.

· Effective Immediately: Shipments detained at all U.S. ports of entry.

· Legal Basis: Violations of 19 U.S.C. § 1307, prohibiting goods made with forced labor.

· Evidence Reviewed: Interviews, payroll slips, harvest quotas, photos, NGO/government reports, media, and academic research.

· Forced Labor Indicators:

o MAR: 9 ILO indicators (including debt bondage, withheld wages, deception, retention of identity documents, isolation, excessive overtime, intimidation, abusive conditions, vulnerability).

o HIP: 7 ILO indicators (similar, but without retention of documents and isolation).

· Scope: CBP now enforces 60 WROs and 8 Findings under the law.

· Importer Options: Destroy, export, or prove goods were not made with forced labor.

· Reporting: Allegations of forced labor can be submitted via CBP’s Forced Labor Allegation Portal.

[AB News Service/01.10.2026]

Agency will detain imports of palm oil and its derivative products made using forced labor in Indonesia

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued two Withhold Release Orders against palm oil and its derivative products produced by Mitra Aneka Rezeki and Hardaya Inti Plantation in Indonesia.  Effective immediately, CBP personnel at all U.S. ports of entry will detain palm oil and its derivative products produced in Indonesia by MAR and HIP.

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 using forced labor, the agency detains those shipments through WROs.

“Exploiting workers is inhumane and damaging to our economic and national security,” said CBP Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner Susan S. Thomas. “Not only are these workers suffering from lack of proper conditions and pay, but the goods they’re forced to produce can put American businesses and consumers at risk.” 

Both WROs are the result of a CBP review that MAR and HIP use forced labor to produce palm oil and its derivative products in Indonesia.  During its review, CBP analyzed the following supporting evidence: interview transcripts, payroll slips, harvest quota information, photographs, open-source non-governmental organization and other government agency reports, news media, and academic research.

Taken together, the evidence demonstrated that workers at MAR are subject to nine International Labour Organization indicators of forced labor: withholding of wages, debt bondage, deception, retention of identity documents, isolation, excessive overtime, intimidation and threats, abusive working and living conditions, and abuse of vulnerability.

Workers at HIP are subject to seven ILO indicators of forced labor: debt bondage, withholding of wages, deception, excessive overtime, abusive working and living conditions, intimidation and threats, and abuse of vulnerability. The facts underlying these indicators show, by reasonable suspicion, that workers are engaged in forced labor.  Additionally, CBP trade import data demonstrates that the goods are being, or are likely to be, imported into the United States.

With this action, CBP now oversees and enforces 60 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.