Customs Seizures

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The reasons for seizures or liquidated damages vary, with country of origin marking issues, suspected counterfeit goods or other IP violations, failure to redeliver merchandise, and undeclared merchandise or money common examples. Customs, however, also exercises its enforcement authority on behalf of other federal agencies, including:

Food and Drug Administration
Consumer Products Safety Commission
Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
Fish & Wildlife Service
Environmental Protection Agency

An importer with seized merchandise or a demand for liquidated damages has certain options for remediating the seizure or mitigating potential liquidated damages. Barnes/Richardson lawyers understand these options and can implement the best strategic approach for securing the release of your property or reducing any financial exposure. We draw on our firm-wide experience dealing with CBP seizures and demands for liquidated damages and offer thoughtful and objective solutions to address the circumstances of your situation, whether it be via the administrative petition process, judicial forfeiture in the local district court or abandonment of the property.

Apr. 2, 2026: Big Changes to Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, Copper and their Derivative Articles
Apr. 1, 2026: CBP Publishes New Applications for ACE Portal Accounts
Mar. 31, 2026: CIT Potentially Broadens the Path for IEEPA Refunds—But the End Is Not Here Yet
Mar. 30, 2026: Section 232 Steel/Aluminum Content Reporting "Guidance"
Mar. 20, 2026: CBP Ruling Clarifies Customs Business, Addresses AI
Mar. 16, 2026: USTR Initiates Forced Labor Section 301 Investigation
Mar. 12, 2026: Here Come the Section 301 Investigations
Mar. 12, 2026: CBP Updates Court on IEEPA Refund Process and Technology
Mar. 11, 2026: AD/CVD Petitions Announced on Lithium Battery Chemicals from China
Mar. 10, 2026: Bills Introduced in House and Senate to Restrict Non-Resident Importers
Mar. 9, 2026: States Challenge Section 122 Tariffs
Mar. 6, 2026: Customs Proposes IEEPA Refund Process to Court
Mar. 4, 2026: CIT Orders Refunds; Appeal Likely
Mar. 2, 2026: IEEPA Case Expedited to CIT for Relief
Feb. 27, 2026: New AD/CVD Petitions on Truck Bed Covers from China
Feb. 27, 2026: "Trade Deals" Under Reciprocal Tariff Framework Have Uncertain (and Maybe Varying) Futures
Feb. 27, 2026: Battle of 122 Tariffs: Is it 10 or 15%?
Feb. 27, 2026: Wither De Minimis After the Supreme Court IEEPA Decision?
Feb. 11, 2026: Legislation Introduced to End First Sale
Feb. 10, 2026: United States & Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade
Feb. 9, 2026: U.S. and India Announce Interim Trade Deal
Feb. 6, 2026: Secondary Tariffs Threatened on Countries Selling Oil to Cuba
Feb. 6, 2026: U.S. Finalizes Terms on Trade Agreement with Argentina
Feb. 3, 2026: Answering Dumping Questionnaires Just Got Harder
Feb. 2, 2026: Apparent India/U.S. IEEPA Duty Deal Reached
Feb. 1, 2026: El Salvador and Guatemala Get IEEPA Deals
Jan. 26, 2026: BIS and Customs Funding Appropriations: Where We Are and What's It All Mean
Jan. 26, 2026: Trump Threatens to Increase Korean Tariffs to 25%
Jan. 20, 2026: Trump Threatens Europeans With More Tariffs Over Greenland
Jan. 15, 2026: Negotiations Chosen Over Tariffs for Critical Minerals, For Now
Jan. 15, 2026: New 25% Tariff Imposed on Certain Semiconductor Imports
Jan. 15, 2026: Taiwan Said to Have Trade Deal with United States
Jan. 10, 2026: CAFC Upholds Use of Domestic Sales for Transaction Value
Jan. 5, 2026: Upholstered Wooden Products, Kitchen Cabinets, and Vanities Tariff Hike Delayed
Jan. 5, 2026: CBP Mandates Electronic Refunds Effective February 6
Dec. 23, 2025: U.S. Imposes Phased-In Duties on Certain Nicaraguan Imports
Dec. 23, 2025: USTR Publishes Semiconductor Section 301 Results
Dec. 22, 2025: Big Fines for (alleged) Duty Evaders
Dec. 17, 2025: U.S. Eases Tariffs for Switzerland and Liechtenstein While Trade Deal is Negotiated
Dec. 12, 2025: USTR Greer Says More Trade Deals are Coming, While U.S. Considers USMCA Review in 2026
Dec. 12, 2025: CAFC Rules Planning Calendar Classification Already Decided
Dec. 12, 2025: Customs Proposes Revoking Handicap Article Status From Ramps
Dec. 9, 2025: OFAC Imposes Large Russia Penalties as 2025 Comes to a Close
Dec. 5, 2025: BIS Steel & Aluminum Derivative Decision Pushed to 2026
Nov. 17, 2025: Reciprocal Tariff Exemptions Expanded
Nov. 14, 2025: Switzerland Announces 15% Tariff Deal with the United States
Nov. 11, 2025: China Suspends & Delays Rare Earth Export Restrictions

View Archive

Jan. 22, 2025: Webinar: What We Know After the Inauguration
Sep. 9, 2024: McPherson to Co-Moderate Export Enforcement Discussion
Jun. 2, 2023: BRC and Attorneys Ranked in 2023 Chambers Guide
May 4, 2017: BRC Partner Lawrence Friedman to Speak at Upcoming PERT Event
March 2, 2017: David G. Forgue to Participate in Georgetown International Trade Update
February 14, 2017: BRC, Joern Law Firm to Hold Joint Webinar on Consumer Product Safety Rules and Import Requirements
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
April 10, 2014: BRC Secures Return of Seized Currency
February 5, 2013: Detentions, Exclusions, and Customs Protests
By: Lawrence M. Friedman
October 2, 2007: Brand Owners Can Prevent Increasingly Costly Offshore Counterfeit Activities
By: Frederic D. Van Arnam, Jr.
July 13, 2007: Strategies for Dealing with Counterfeiting
By: Frederic D. Van Arnam, Jr.
August 1, 2006: Section 337 Cases on the Rise
By: Matthew T. McGrath

U.S. Customs & Border Protection Seizure Information