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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
US adds five more products to high-priority list under Uyghur labour law
The US has intensified its crackdown on forced labour-linked imports from China by adding five additional products to the "high-priority sectors" under the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA), as per a statement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to the statement issued by DHS on Tuesday (local time), the new products include steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda, and red dates, all of which are now under heightened scrutiny for links to forced labour involving the ethnic minority group of Uyghurs, an indigenous Turkic Muslim group native to the region known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, or East Turkestan. "Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bolstered America's economic and national security by adding steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda, and red dates as high-priority sectors for enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) which restricts Chinese goods made with forced labor from entering the United States," the statement read. The Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in a statement, emphasised that the move is a significant step in reinforcing the US's commitment to eradicating goods made with forced labour from American supply chains. "America has a moral, economic, and national security duty to eradicate threats that endanger our nation's prosperity, including unfair trade practices that disadvantage the American people and stifle our economic growth. The Trump administration is taking action," she said. "The use of slave labor is repulsive and we will hold Chinese companies accountable for abuses and eliminate threats its forced labor practices pose to our prosperity," the statement added. As per DHS, currently, 144 entities are listed on the UFLPA Entity List as having ties to forced labour practices in the region. These include companies and suppliers accused of directly using, facilitating, or benefiting from such practices. According to the US Department of State, the UFLPA was established as a rebuttable presumption that goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China or by an entity on the UFLPA Entity List are subject to import. The law was enacted on December 23, 2021, and enforcement began on June 21, 2022. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UPI
a day ago
- Business
- UPI
U.S. adds products to list at risk of Uyghur forced labor
1 of 2 | A child sits on the ground in the city of Kashgar in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region during a government organized trip for foreign journalists, in 2021. U.S. officials said Tuesday they are broadening the categories of products that will be subject to additional scrutiny under the Uyghur Forced Labor Act. File Photo Wu Hong/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The United States Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it was expanding its strategy to block imports of Chinese products made with forced labor by members of the Uyghur minority group. The department has added steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates to its list of sectors that receive heightened scrutiny because they have been deemed to be at higher risk of having been made by forced Uyghur labor. The move is the latest by U.S. officials in recent years to pressure China over its treatment of the Muslim minority Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region. "America has a moral, economic, and national security duty to eradicate threats that endanger our nation's prosperity, including unfair trade practices that disadvantage the American people and stifle our economic growth," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. The Uyghur Forced Labor Act was signed into law in 2021 by then-President Joe Biden in response to reports of human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region. The law bans products made in the region from entering the United States under the presumption they were made by ethnic Uyghurs who were pressured into working into labor-intensive industries under the threat of detention. After the law took effect, the Biden administration blacklisted over 100 Chinese-based companies from importing their products into the United States over alleged violations. Officials have also added aluminum, apparel, seafood, polyvinyl chloride and others to the list of sectors at greater risk of using forced labor in the region. In a report to Congress, the department described their rationale for adding the new sectors to its list. The report cites official Chinese documents that prioritize the production of steel, lithium and copper in the Xinjiang region. China produces 40 percent of the world's red dates, with half of that coming from Xinjiang, according to the report. Red dates are intercropped with cotton, which is well documented as being at high risk of forced labor practices," the report states. The production of caustic soda in the region also has been tied to the use of forced labor, according to the report. Earlier in this year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio put visa restrictions on officials in Thailand who were accused of forcibly returning 40 Uyghurs from Thailand to China.
The South African
06-08-2025
- Politics
- The South African
South Africa worried by US-deported criminals dumped in Eswatini
The South African government has officially raised concerns with the Kingdom of Eswatini following confirmation that a group of foreign nationals – some convicted of serious crimes – was recently transported to Eswatini from the United States. The matter came to light after Eswatini's acting government spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, confirmed that the individuals, described as dangerous criminals of various nationalities , had arrived in the country on a special flight arranged by US authorities. The group is reportedly part of a larger cohort expected to follow, according to a statement from the United States Department of Homeland Security. The individuals were deported from the United States and are being processed for return to their countries of origin. However, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in a statement issued on behalf of the government, expressed concern that many of these countries may not be willing or able to receive the deportees. DIRCO acknowledged the US and Eswatini's intention to work with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the return of the deportees. However, it warned of the potential security risks posed by the presence of these individuals in the region. 'Whilst respecting the sovereign decision of the Government of Eswatini, the Government of the Republic of South Africa is deeply concerned about the profile of these individuals and the potential adverse impact on South Africa's national security and immigration policy, given the geographical proximity between the two sisterly countries,' the statement read. The situation has sparked fears that if not properly managed, these deportees could cross into South Africa, posing risks to public safety and straining border management systems. No formal comment has yet been issued by the US Embassy nor the Eswatini government beyond initial confirmations. It remains unclear whether additional deportation flights are planned, or how the process will ensure that individuals do not end up stranded or in violation of immigration laws in the region. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Indian Express
‘Leave immediately on your own': Redditor shares US government parole termination letter sent to 3-year-old; netizens say ‘call a lawyer'
A Reddit post recently caused alarm after a user shared what appeared to be an official 'Notice of Termination of Parole' from the United States Department of Homeland Security addressed to their 3-year-old nephew. The Redditor, confused and unsure about the document's authenticity, wrote, 'This letter seems fake. I don't know what to do,' adding that it was sent to a toddler. But what followed was a flood of responses from concerned users, many of whom warned that the letter looked legitimate and urged the original poster to seek legal help immediately. Dated June 20, 2025, the letter in question included the subject line: 'Notice of Termination of Parole.' It began with the bureaucratic phrase 'Name of the alien…' before moving on to a blunt message: 'It is time for you to leave the United States.' The document stated that the child had been granted temporary entry under DHS parole and that the department had now either ended or was ending that permission. It explained that 'any benefits you receive in the United States connected with your parole – such as work authorisation – will also be terminated.' The recipient was strongly encouraged to leave the country voluntarily, or risk facing consequences. In the Reddit comments, people rallied to offer guidance, some identifying the document's formatting and tone as authentic. 'Yeah, it's not fake. The letterhead ink colours are correct,' one person said, urging the family to consult an immigration lawyer or a family attorney, especially if the child is a US citizen. Another commenter said: 'If you got a lawyer. CALLLLLL THE LAWYER AND DON'T GO ANYWHERE.' Others pointed to recent political developments. 'Unfortunately after the current Supreme Court ruling, this is a reality for those that came in under CHNV,' wrote one commenter, referring to a specific parole programme. 'This is awful and I'm sorry you're going through this,' another user wrote, acknowledging the emotional weight of the situation.
Newsweek
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
DHS Issues Heightened Terror Threat for Americans
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a threat summary in a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin Sunday following Saturday's strikes on three key-nuclear facilities in Iran. "The ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States," the DHS statement said. DHS also said, "low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks." The warning came amid escalating tensions between the US, its allies, and Iran and its supporters. President Donald Trump authorized the strikes on nuclear weapons facilities because he felt that Iran was no longer negotiating in good faith and instead was waiting out the clock to continue to build up their nuclear power, Vice President JD Vance said during an interview on Meet The Press Sunday. The department has issued information on resources to stay safe, outlining who to call and how to report concerns. This is a breaking news story. Updates to come.
