Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:    

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  

  • CBP released the February 2025 monthly update. Highlights: 
    • Identified $2.9 million in duties and fees owed. 
    • Stopped 1,024 shipments for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor. 
    • Seized 1,815 shipments that contained counterfeit goods.  
  • CBP issued guidance on import duties on imports of steel and steel derivative products. 
  • CBP issued guidance on import duties on imports of aluminum and aluminum derivative products. 
  • CBP released it’s April trade outreach webinar schedule.  
  • CBP officers seized a shipment containing fake designer jewelry worth $3.5 million, had it been genuine.  
  • Baltimore CBP officers seized over $72k in counterfeit vinyl flooring tiles from China.  
  • CBP seized counterfeit skin creams and sharpie pens worth over $30k in Allentown, PA. 

Administration 

  • President Trump pledged counter-measures in response to the EU’s new tariffs on U.S. products. 
  • In a Truth Social post, President Trump threatened to place a 200% tariff on wines, champagnes, and alcoholic products from the EU if they do not remove their 50% tariff on U.S. whisky. 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

  • Commerce published a federal register notice notifying the trade community that they must pay the 25% Section 232 tariff on aluminum and steel products classified outside of Chapter 72 (iron), 73 (steel) and 76 (aluminum) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). 
  • Commerce published a federal register notice requesting public comments on the Section 232 national security investigation of copper imports.  
  • Commerce published a federal register notice requesting public comments on the Section 232 national security investigation of timber and lumber imports.  

United States Trade Representative (USTR) 

  • USTR held a public hearing on March 11, 2025, regarding the Section 301 investigation on China’s acts, policies, and practices related to targeting of the semiconductor industry for dominance. 

Congress 

  • Senators Bill Cassidy and Catherine Cortez Masto introduced the Customs Facilitation Act of 2025. The bill aims to create a true single window for importers and reduce redundancies in advance export manifest data submissions. 

Industry News 

  • CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping company, announced a $20 billion U.S. investment over four years, expanding its U.S.-flagged fleet, upgrading ports, and launching an air cargo hub in Chicago. This will create 10,000 jobs. 
  • Serina Baker-Hill, director of CBP’s Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise in Detroit, has been charged with defrauding the FEMA, making false statements to federal agents, and committing wire fraud.  
  • GE Aerospace announced a nearly $1 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, benefitting more than two dozen communities across 16 states. 

International 

  • The EU said it plans to reinstate previously suspended tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum and introduce new countermeasures against US exports. 
  • Effective March 13, 2025, Canada is imposing 25% tariffs on $29.8 billion in products imported from the U.S.  

Florida News 

  • The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to close nearly a dozen federal offices across South Florida including National Park Service and FDA’s OCI office. 

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