Insights on International Trade & Investment

Join Angela Santos as she speaks on a panel at PV ModuleTech’s upcoming conference.

Welcome to the June 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

On June 4, President Trump issued a proclamation that fully bans entry into the United States for certain foreign nationals from 12 countries, and partially banning entry from seven more.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that 69 attorneys were recognized as leaders in their field and 23 practices spanning the firm’s litigation, regulatory, and transactional capabilities were ranked in the 2025 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

On May 23, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 25, “Authorizing Transactions Prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations or Involving Certain Blocked Persons,” following President Trump’s May 13 announcement.

Customs & Import Compliance Practice Group Leader Angela Santos was quoted on the Trump Administration’s alternative pathways for imposing tariffs. After the Court of International Trade and District Court for the District of Columbia put a halt to Trump’s tariffs, Administration officials say that the president is considering using other tools at his disposal to advance his trade policies.

Partner Antonio Rivera was quoted on the federal court decision that President Trump exceeded his authority when he used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose worldwide tariffs by declaring a national emergency based on trade deficits.

On May 28, a three-judge panel on the US Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a landmark ruling in V.O.S. Selections, Inc. et al. v. United States of America et al. and The State of Oregon et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al.

They say, “timing is everything.” This podcast comes to our listeners as Washington, DC, contemplates next moves on the US tariff front, including new tariffs on products key to the e-mobility sector.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that Megan Gajewski Barnhill has joined the firm as a partner in the International Trade & Investment practice in Washington, DC. Megan’s practice focuses on helping companies navigate complex regulatory matters related to international business transactions and national security.

As we approach midyear, the ArentFox Schiff Labor, Employment & OSHA team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing employers this year, including artificial intelligence (AI) regulation at the state level, reshaping of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), continuing expansion of state paid family and medical leave laws, challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, and changes to US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance and enforcement.

Welcome to the May 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) banning athletes assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports. This applies to sports competitions within both educational institutions and athletic associations.

On May 12, the United States and the People’s Republic of China announced a temporary 90-day agreement to roll back some of the reciprocal tariffs increases imposed in April.

The current Administration is enforcing a law initially enacted in 1940 which requires certain foreign nationals to register with the US government and always carry proof of their registration. There are penalties for violating these requirements, and there is a new form to use for such registration.

On April 28, the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published the long anticipated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the January 16 Information and Communication Technology and Services (ICTS) Rule that prohibits the import and sale of connected vehicles and their related hardware/software with a sufficient Chinese or Russian nexus (“Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain: Connected Vehicles.”)

Join Angela Santos at the American Apparel & Footwear Association 2025 Global Supply Chain & Trade Conference.

Join Joy Marie Virga on a panel at the Food Policy Impact 2025 conference.

Kay Georgi speaks on a panel at the Inter-Pacific Bar Association Annual Meeting and Conference.

Customs & Import Compliance Practice Leader Angela Santos was quoted on how importers are strategizing to lessen their liability under the Trump Administration’s tariffs.

On April 1, the US Secretary of Commerce initiated a section 232 “national security” investigation, “to determine the effects on national security of imports of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME), and their derivative products. This includes, among other things, semiconductor substrates and bare wafers, legacy chips, leading-edge chips, microelectronics, and SME components. Derivative products include downstream products that contain semiconductors, such as those that make up the electronics supply chain.”

Effective April 5, the United States imposed a 10% baseline tariff on imports from nearly all countries, excluding products from Canada and Mexico, and those products contained in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Column 2 and the Annex II list attached to Executive Order 14257. In contrast, Chinese imports are subject an increased 125% reciprocal tariff rate, combined with 20% International Emergency Economic Powers Act duty rate in effect since March 4.

Join Antonio Rivera for a roundtable discussion at the Battery Show South.

Welcome to the April 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

In a recent discussion at SupplySide Connect in Secaucus, Associate Mario Torrico addressed the impact of tariffs on global supply chains.