News Articles

Global Chaos

Global Chaos and Global Trade – The New World Disorder and the Ensuing Economic Carnage

Bob Brewer January 26, 2026

On any given morning so far in 2026, looking around the globe, one could easily surmise that chaos rules, and the world of trade as result is on fire. The global landscape is filled with trade barriers, tariffs, sanctions, and export controls, from microchips and dairy to lumber, steel and aluminum. We have seen where geopolitical disputes often escalate into trade wars, where countries impose tariffs or targeted restrictions on each other’s goods, but an actual invasion, that’s on a totally different level regarding how it affects trade and global economies.

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usmca

The Upcoming USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC Review The Options are: A Renegotiation, A Few Revisions, or a Formal Exit

Bob Brewer January 10, 2026

The exit of a country, such as the U.S., from the USMCA, well, that’s just crazy, right? Afterall, it’s a powerhouse of a trade agreement between the three nations. According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, the United States conducts over $1.3 trillion in annual trade with Mexico and Canada under the USMCA framework and supports roughly 17 million jobs across North America.

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IEEPA Refund

Potential IEEPA Refunds Guidance

Adrienne Braumiller December 24, 2025

The legality of the Fentanyl IEEPA tariffs and the Reciprocal IEEPA tariffs is currently pending in the Supreme Court. A decision is expected in January, although it could come sooner, though the Court may not directly address refund mechanics. Instead, it could remand the issue to the Court of International Trade (CIT), which would delay guidance for several months.

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BRICS

BRICS and the Drive Towards De-Dollarization: Has It Stalled?

Victoria Holmes November 30, 2025

Could BRICS break the dollar’s grip? The answer is coming into sharper focus, and it’s more complicated than either the optimists or skeptics predicted. Since our previous analysis, BRICS has made concrete moves toward de-dollarization while simultaneously confronting harsh economic and political realities. The gap between ambition and achievement has never been clearer.

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tariffs

Taxing Imports: Tracing the Role of Tariffs in U.S. Economic Policy

Adrienne Braumiller November 30, 2025

In the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2025 is the year of the snake. The snake is said to represent wisdom and strategy. As it occasionally sheds its skin, it is also said to represent a change or an inflection point. Whether American trade policy in the year of the snake exemplifies wisdom and strategy depends on one’s political perspective. Whether it exemplifies a major transformation and inflection point is unquestionable.

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Mexican Customs

New Mexican Customs Law – Nueva Ley Aduanera de Mexico

Brenda Cordova November 30, 2025

On November 19, 2025, a Decree amending, adding and repealing various legal provisions of the Mexican Customs law was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion (Mexican Official Gazette). This reform will enter into force on January 1, 2026. Although the Customs Law has been amended multiple times in the last 30 years, this reform is widely considered the most significant since December 15, 1995.

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tequila

Developing a Tequila Brand for Export from Mexico

Brenda Cordova November 30, 2025

The development of a tequila brand begins with a foundational step: registering a trademark in Mexico, the United States, or any other intended markets. However, trademark protection is only the starting point. Building a tequila brand requires a broader business and regulatory strategy involving multiple teams—Customs and trade, finance, marketing, and legal—to plan for production, cost structures, distribution, sales, and export-related compliance.

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New Value Manifest

New Value Manifest/Manifestacion de Valor – via VUCEM

Brenda Cordova November 30, 2025

Beginning December 9, 2025, importers in Mexico will be required to complete and submit the Electronic Value Manifest through VUCEM (Mexico’s Electronic Single Window). This measure increases the importer’s direct participation and responsibility in determining and declaring the correct customs value of imported goods.

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tariffs

Tariffs, Deals, Steel, Aluminum and AI – Oh My!  Welcome to the New Normal

Bruce Leeds November 30, 2025

New tariffs, changed tariffs, and reduced tariffs are announced with short notice. The duties on merchandise can change while a shipment is in the middle of the ocean. The status of free trade agreements has become uncertain. New detailed duties are assessed on steel and aluminum and their derivatives. Artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role.

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prior notice regulations

Any Comments on FDA’s New Proposed Rule on Prior Notice Regulations?

Vicky Wu November 10, 2023

On November 1, 2023, FDA issued a proposed rule that would make changes to its prior notice regulations, if the rule is finalized. These changes include requiring the name of the mail service and a mail tracking number to be provided in prior notice for food articles arriving by international mail. In addition, the FDA proposes that food facility registration information and prior notice be submitted within a specific timeframe after receiving certain notices of refusal or hold (“post-refusal” and “post-hold” submissions).

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antidumping

New Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigation Initiated Covering Aluminum Extrusions from 15 Countries

Paul Fudacz November 10, 2023

On October 4, 2023, A coalition of 14 U.S. aluminum extrusion producers and labor unions filed petitions before the Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) seeking to impose antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on aluminum extrusions produced in 15 countries and exported to the U.S.

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Legal Framework

Legal Framework Governing IMMEX Operations

Brenda Cordova November 10, 2023

As we have previously explained in other articles, an IMMEX is a duty deferral program from the Mexican federal government created in 2006, which stands for Industria Manufacturera, Maquiladora y de Servicios de Exportación (Manufacturing, Maquiladora and Export Services Industry).

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BIS

Overview of BIS’s Interim Final Rules, Export Controls for Advanced Computing, Supercomputing, and Artificial Intelligence

Megan Mohler November 10, 2023

On October 25, 2023, the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published interim final rules amending the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) to add/clarify new controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment (“SME”), advanced computing integrated circuits (“IC”), and computer commodities containing them.

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Xinjiang Exclusions

Challenges Ahead! – Requesting to be Excluded From the Xinjiang Exclusions

Bruce Leeds November 10, 2023

In April of this year U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) issued Headquarters Ruling H330077. The ruling was in response to a protest filed by an importer that had a shipment of wearing apparel excluded from entry under a Withhold Release Order (WRO) at the port of Newark, NJ. The wearing apparel was processed from cotton produced in India, made into yarn and fabric in China, and converted to wearing apparel in Cambodia. None of the parties to the transaction were located in the Xinjiang Region of China.

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buy America

OMB Issues Final Rule for Infrastructure Buy America Preferences

James Holbein November 10, 2023

The Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”), Made in America Office issued a Final Rule to clarify the Build America, Buy America Act (“BABA”) provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act4 (“IIJA”) and to clarify existing provisions related to domestic preferences. The Final Rule amends Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”), subtitle A, chapter I by adding a new Part 184 to support implementation of BABA. OMB also amended 2 CFR 200.322 to clarify existing provisions within part 200. According to OMB, the Final Rule “is intended to improve consistency in the implementation of BABA requirements across the Federal Government.”5 The Final Rule will take effect October 23, 2023.

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Taiwan

The Domino Effect: What Would an Invasion of Taiwan Mean for Global Trade

Victoria Holmes November 10, 2023

Tensions are escalating in the South China Sea, a vital maritime route for international trade. Taiwan remains at the center of this conflict and in an increasingly interconnected world, the prospect of a Taiwan invasion has far-reaching implications for global trade and geopolitics. It’s becoming even more crucial to understand the potential repercussions of such an event on the global economy as a potential invasion from China becomes increasingly more likely.

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Compliance Consultants

International Trade Compliance Consultants and The Value Proposition

Linnea Deeds November 8, 2023

Maximizing value is crucial when companies contemplate bringing on external support for any organizational function. While a company may consider several value categories, this article explores five primary categories – productivity, profitability, image, experience, and convenience. By maintaining a value proposition mindset when requesting consultant resources, selecting consultants, and working with consultants, trade compliance professionals leverage the benefits of external experts.

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Compliance Training

Employee Education in Compliance Training

Linnea Deeds November 8, 2023

Employee education supports organizational growth and development. Its benefits are generally well known, but how do you ensure that training, in any form, generates the outcomes and advances you desire? Measuring and benchmarking success can be especially difficult when creating customized training programs, which are often needed for international trade compliance topics.

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