Ensuring Safe and Lawful E-Commerce for United States Consumers, Businesses, Government Supply Chains, and Intellectual Property Rights Holders

The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to propose new rules establishing criteria for obtaining an importer of record number — the identifier required to bring goods into the United States — and bars persons suspended or debarred by CBP from holding one. It requires express carriers, hub facilities, and licensed customs brokers to notify CBP when a debarred importer tries to re-establish business under a different name, and directs CBP to consider penalties — including revoking operating privileges or customs broker licenses — for entities that continue facilitating such business. It also directs CBP to create a quarterly compliance score for foreign postal services and to escalate enforcement measures, up to blocking all shipments, against those that consistently fail. The Attorney General must prioritize prosecuting import-related offenses and assign resources accordingly.

The order does not itself change any tariff rate, impose new criminal penalties, or directly debar any person. All major changes depend on future rulemaking, reports to the President, and agency-level implementation decisions. A general-provisions clause confirms it creates no enforceable rights or benefits for private parties.

Foreign postal services, international e-commerce sellers, U.S. importers of record, express consignment operators, licensed customs brokers, hub facilities, and e-commerce platform operators whose transactions may involve debarred persons or contraband shipments entering the United States.

U.S. consumers risk receiving counterfeit products or inadvertently funding smuggling networks through routine online purchases. Legitimate importers and customs brokers face new compliance obligations and potential license sanctions. Foreign postal services that repeatedly fail compliance scoring risk losing access to the U.S. market entirely.

The order works in cascading layers: DHS must first complete rulemaking to define importer-of-record criteria; those criteria then trigger obligations for carriers and brokers to police debarred parties. In parallel, CBP develops a quarterly International Mail Non-Compliance score — penalties escalate from targeted inspections (2+ failing quarters) to information requirements (6+ quarters) to possible shipment blockades (8+ quarters). Reports to the President from DHS and Justice are due within 90 and 210 days, respectively, to inform future executive action. Enforcement teeth at the carrier level include loss of CBP trusted-trader status and operating-privilege restrictions.