In a recent letter signed by 16 members of the US House of Representatives, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was urged to strengthen enforcement of customs laws to protect the domestic textile industry from “illegal trade practices”.
The letter, led by House Textile Caucus co-chairs Representatives David Rouzer and Adriano Espaillat, asked Secretary Markwayne Mullin to ensure the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is properly equipped to enforce import regulations and combat abuses that have eroded the position of American textile manufacturers.
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“Unfortunately, for decades, the American textile industry has suffered greatly from customs fraud and abuse by foreign competitors and organised crime,” the lawmakers wrote.
Lawmakers pointed out that more than one hundred countries supply textiles and apparel to the US, with annual imports exceeding $100bn, according to Department of Commerce data.
For fiscal year 2024, the US collected $13.2bn in textile-related duties and fees, close to 17% of overall duties, according to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The International Trade Commission reported that $25bn had already been collected in textile duties in calendar year 2025, with an expectation for this figure to keep rising under existing tariffs.
China and Vietnam were singled out for accounting for over 35% of total textile and apparel imports, and the letter referenced their histories of unfair trade practices.
The persistence of customs fraud was attributed to the large volume of imports and significant duties collected in the textile sector.
The letter from the House Textile Caucus described customs fraud, illegal transshipment, and tariff evasion as “rampant” and called for a comprehensive enforcement programme at DHS.
The representatives recommended the DHS to develop and institute a comprehensive textile enforcement programme, which it says will safeguard the interests of the domestic textile industry.
Recommendations included revoking trade privileges for offenders, publicly listing violators, imposing stronger penalties on repeat offenders, increasing audits and laboratory testing, verifying free trade agreement claims, and releasing enforcement statistics in a timely manner.
NCTO president and CEO Kim Glas said: “I sincerely thank Congressman Espaillat and Congressman Rouzer for leading these efforts and strongly commend the bipartisan group of lawmakers for taking the lead in calling on Secretary Mullin and his agency to take urgent action to address a wide range of illegal trade practices that are severely impacting the US textile and apparel industry.
“This letter sends a powerful message that customs fraud, illegal transshipment, and tariff evasion are rampant and must be stopped. These illegal trade practices cost American jobs, undermine legitimate manufacturers, weaken our trade agreements, and deprive the US Treasury of billions of dollars in revenue.”
