U.S. Customs and Border Protection hosts Dallas summit on supply chain compliance and cargo security

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CBP Dallas supply chain summit

Highlights

The 2026 Trade and Cargo Security Summit prioritizes enforcement of forced labor laws, illegal transshipment, ACE modernization, and the Strengthening Customs Enforcement Executive Order.
CBP officials emphasize expanded compliance expectations, requiring importers to fully audit their supply chains and not rely solely on brokers or freight forwarders.
The summit adds three listening sessions on the Strengthening Customs Enforcement Executive Order and launches an industry competition to develop traceability solutions for supply chain visibility.

Summit agenda centers on enforcement priorities

As reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the 2026 Trade and Cargo Security Summit brings together importers, exporters, carriers, brokers, attorneys, trade associations, other government agencies, Congress and the press for discussions with agency leadership on trade policy and operational priorities.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says supply chain security depends on close coordination between the government and private sector, adding that homeland protection requires reliable technology, infrastructure and functioning supply chains. During a fireside chat with Christopher Siepmann, CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott says the agency is weighing the human role in the emerging AI landscape, the link between economic, border and national security, and the importance of human rights in forced labor enforcement.

Trade enforcement remains central to panels, workshops, keynote addresses and listening sessions. CBP Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello says the event addresses the Strengthening Customs Enforcement Executive Order, illegal transshipment, forced labor enforcement, ACE modernization, Enforce and Protect Act investigations and broader supply chain security.

Industry input and compliance expectations expand

Senior CBP officials also stress the need for companies to understand their full supply chains and carry out their own compliance checks. Executive Assistant Commissioner Susan S. Thomas says each entity in the chain must own its compliance, adding that importers should not rely only on brokers or freight forwarders to validate supply chains.

The summit includes direct feedback sessions for the trade community, and CBP encourages formal comments on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Heightened Import Disclosures for Supply Chain Visibility.” Siepmann says the agenda adds three listening sessions on the Strengthening Customs Enforcement Executive Order this year to support two-way communication as the agency shapes next steps.

The event also features a competition during the Supply Chain Traceability Brainstorming Session. Acting Executive Director Salvatore Ingrassia says participating teams develop recommendations on programs, technology, tools and other solutions that could improve CBP's visibility into upstream supply chains.

In our earlier coverage, we examined a bipartisan House Ways and Means Committee package that pairs tax and healthcare measures with tougher supply chain enforcement provisions. The proposal included legislation aimed at strengthening trade enforcement against cobalt imports linked to child and forced labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting rising compliance expectations for importers and upstream supply chain visibility.

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