§ 12.42 Findings of Commissioner of CBP. ( a ) If any port director or other principal Customs officer has reason to believe that any class of merchandise that is being, or is likely to be, imported into the United States is being produced, whether by mining, manufacture, or other means, in any foreign locality with the use of convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor under penal sanctions, including forced child labor or indentured child labor under penal sanctions, so as to come within the purview of section 307, Tariff Act of 1930, he shall communicate his belief to the Commissioner of CBP. Every such communication shall contain or be accompanied by a statement of substantially the same information as is required in paragraph (b) of this section, if in the possession of the port director or other officer or readily available to him.
( b ) Any person outside CBP who has reason to believe that merchandise produced in the circumstances mentioned in paragraph (a) of this section is being, or is likely to be, imported into the United States may communicate his belief to any port director or the Commissioner of CBP. Every such communication shall contain, or be accompanied by: ( 1 ) A full statement of the reasons for the belief;
( 2 ) A detailed description or sample of the merchandise; and
( 3 ) All pertinent facts obtainable as to the production of the merchandise abroad.
( c ) If any information filed with a port director pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section does not conform with the requirements of that paragraph, the communication shall be returned promptly to the person who submitted it with detailed written advice as to the respects in which it does not conform. If such information is found to comply with the requirements, it shall be transmitted by the port director within 10 days to the Commissioner of CBP, together with all pertinent additional information available to the port director.
( d ) Upon receipt by the Commissioner of CBP of any communication submitted pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b) of this section and found to comply with the requirements of the pertinent paragraph, the Commissioner will cause such investigation to be made as appears to be warranted by the circumstances of the case and the Commissioner or his designated representative will consider any representations offered by foreign interests, importers, domestic producers, or other interested persons.
( e ) If the Commissioner of CBP finds at any time that information available reasonably but not conclusively indicates that merchandise within the purview of section 307 is being, or is likely to be, imported, he will promptly advise all port directors accordingly and the port directors shall thereupon withhold release of any such merchandise pending instructions from the Commissioner as to whether the merchandise may be released otherwise than for exportation.
( f ) If it is determined on the basis of the foregoing that the merchandise is subject to the provisions of the said section 307, the Commissioner of CBP, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, will publish a finding to that effect in a weekly issue of the Customs Bulletin and in the Federal Register.
( g ) Any merchandise of a class specified in a finding made under paragraph (f) of this section, which is imported directly or indirectly from the locality specified in the findings and has not been released from CBP custody before the date of publication of such finding in the Federal Register shall be considered and treated as an importation prohibited by section 307, Tariff Act of 1930, unless the importer establishes by satisfactory evidence that the merchandise was not mined, produced, or manufactured in any part with the use of a class of labor specified in the finding.
( h ) The following findings made under the authority of section 307, Tariff Act of 1930 are currently in effect with respect to the merchandise listed below:
Merchandise
Country
T.D. Furniture, clothes hampers, and palm leaf bags
Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico
5340854725
[28 FR 14710, Dec. 31, 1963, as amended by T.D. 89-1, 53 FR 51253, Dec. 21, 1988; T.D. 00-52, 65 FR 45875, July 26, 2000; CBP Dec. 17-04, 82 FR 26584, June 8, 2017]