Key facts
- The U.S. government's enforcement of a ban on goods made with Chinese forced labor has significantly decreased under President Donald Trump.
- The value of goods detained at the border for suspected Xinjiang origin dropped from $1.76 billion in FY2024 to $166 million in FY2025.
- The Trump administration has not added new companies to the forced labor blacklist, which presumes goods from Xinjiang are made with coercion.
- The Department of Homeland Security added over 40 new Chinese companies to the blacklist effective August 3.
- This reduction in enforcement is reportedly due to concerns about upsetting China during ongoing trade negotiations.
- The U.S. recently imposed tariffs on 60 trading partners for failing to adequately combat forced labor.
Trade data indicates a significant reduction in the U.S. government's enforcement of laws targeting goods produced with forced labor, particularly from China's Xinjiang region, during President Donald Trump's administration. This decline occurs while the administration simultaneously pressures other countries to strengthen their own forced labor enforcement and imposes tariffs based on such allegations.
The U.S. ban on goods from Xinjiang, a region where over a million Uyghurs and other minorities have been detained in what the U.S. government calls genocide, presumes these items are made with coerced labor. Enforcement of this ban, overseen by multiple agencies, has reportedly weakened, with no new companies added to a trade blacklist for a period. The value of goods detained at the border on suspicion of Xinjiang origin has also dramatically decreased.
Sources attribute this pullback primarily to concerns about upsetting the Chinese government as President Trump pursues trade and economic deals with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Shifting priorities within Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and staffing cuts are also cited as contributing factors.
Despite the reported decline in enforcement actions, the administration maintains it is still enforcing the measure and has issued new guidance to importers. One U.S. official suggested lower detention numbers reflect stronger deterrence, indicating importers have improved their supply chains.
This situation presents a contradiction as the U.S. urges other nations to enforce forced labor bans while its own enforcement appears to be weakening. China has criticized the U.S. for using human rights as a pretext for protectionist behavior, denying allegations of genocide and stating its policies in Xinjiang aim to improve livelihoods. Other countries, like Brazil and the EU, have also questioned the premise of U.S. tariffs, highlighting their own robust bans on goods made with forced labor.