U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced last week that it would begin seizing all aluminum products manufactured by Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L., a Chinese-owned company in the Dominican Republic.
Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L. was found to have used forced labor while manufacturing its products, violating federal law (19 U.S.C. § 1307). As a result, CBP is to restrict importing goods from any company that has its products “manufactured wholly or in part in any foreign country by convict labor or/and forced labor, or/and indentured labor, including forced or indentured child labor[.]”
Moreover, the company’s violations run counter to the ideals and principles behind CBP’s forced labor enforcement mission, which calls for supporting the “ethical and humane trade while leveling the playing field for United States companies that respect fair labor standards.”
“Forced labor is a violation of basic human rights,” notes the CBP website. As such, they have reinforced their dedication and commitment to “identifying products made by forced labor and preventing them from entering the U.S.; therefore denying access to the U.S. economy for those that engage in the egregious human rights abuses associated with the use of forced labor.”
The CBP investigated Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L. after previous claims of abuse and forced labor. During its probe, CBP discovered that Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L. had committed multiple violations, including “abuse of vulnerability, intimidation and threats, deception, withholding of wages, physical and sexual violence, restriction of movement, and excessive overtime.”
Multiple CBP officials denounced the company amid its findings.
“Trading in goods that were manufactured at the expense of the health, safety, and freedom of another human being is completely antithetical to American values and the American way of life,” said Troy Miller, CBP senior official performing the duties of the commissioner.
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“With this action, we are sending a message to those entities that continue to attempt to circumvent U.S. trade laws – your goods are not welcome in the United States,” said AnnMarie R. Highsmith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP Office of Trade.
It is currently estimated that there are approximately 28 million workers around the world who are exploited by forced labor, according to the International Labour Organization. The decision to restrict importing any products by Kingtom Aluminio S.R.L. is the latest action from CBP in its efforts to combat global, illegal forced labor, including multiple companies either located in or connected to China.
