USMCA Enters Into Force on July 1
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on May 11 that it has opened the USMCA Center in Washington, D.C., to serve as a central communication hub for CBP and the private sector, including merchants, brokers, freight forwarders and producers, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition to work in the implantation of the accord.
The Center will be staffed with experts from operational, legal, trade policy and logistics areas, and will have a direct communication channel with Mexico and Canada to cover issues such as regulatory changes, automation changes that will occur within cargo systems, rules-of-origin changes, as well as new labor laws.
-Brenda Smith, the executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, said, “clearly with the automotive industry, there has been a substantial amount of change. We are working now with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to structure that transition period.”