CBP Working to Allow Brokers to File for Section 321 Release in ABI, Agency Official Says
ORLANDO -- CBP is working to allow Automated Broker Interface filers to directly file for Section 321 release from manifest, said Jim Swanson, director of cargo security and controls in CBP’s Office of Field Operations, during the National Association of…
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Foreign-Trade Zones annual conference on Oct. 17. But despite some calls from the trade community to allow Section 321 releases directly to consumers, CBP doesn’t have authority to deviate from normal release procedures, Swanson said. The agency is working with various associations, including express carriers, airlines, and customs brokers and forwarders, to respond to the growing amount of low-volume shipments across the U.S., Swanson said. The recent increase of the U.S. de minimis level from $200 to $800 has multiplied that type of shipment brought in by airlines at small airports across the country he said. Customs reauthorization legislation enacted earlier this year set the new de minimis level. The effects of the change are confounding CBP, which expected that any post-Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act influx in de minimis-related imports would mainly arrive via express couriers, Swanson said.