Ira Reese
Independent consultant on customs and trade matters and border and stadium security at Global Security and Innovative Strategies
United States of America
Ira Reese is the former Executive Director of Laboratories and Scientific Services of United States Customs and Border Protection. He is currently an independent consultant on customs and trade matters and border and stadium security.
Contact information
Email:isr312@aol.com
Content by Ira Reese
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
Ira Reese28 Jun 2026
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
The U.S. is entering a new era of customs enforcement. But while Executive Order strengthening customs enforcement sets an ambitious agenda, can CBP realistically deliver it after decades of declining trade expertise? This article explores what the Order means in practice and what importers should do now to reduce their...
Trade policy
Country update
Impact of US tariffs on exporters and importersIra Reese11 May 2025
Impact of US tariffs on exporters and importers
In this expert-led UK roundtable, a former senior US Customs and Border Protection official and a UK customs, excise and VAT consultant discuss the impact of US tariffs on exporters and importers, and what traders can do in practice to avoid costly mistakes. Topics covered: The current US tariff landscape:...
Duties & taxes
Trade policy
The long and winding road: pursuing a bad trade decision by a customs officer in the United StatesIra Reese24 Jan 2025
The long and winding road: pursuing a bad trade decision by a customs officer in the United States
In the US, the law allows an importer to contest adverse decisions on their customs entries for a number of reasons including differences in appraised value, classification and rate of duty, exclusion from entry and refusal to pay a drawback claim. Anyone who either advises importers or directly pursues what...
Classification
Perspective
U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their effectsIra Reese16 Jun 2024
U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their effects
On 14 May, U.S. President Joe Biden placed a 100% tariff duty rate on imports of Chinese Electric Vehicles (EVs). The reasoning was that the low cost of Chinese EVs needs to be counterbalanced by tariffs so that domestic manufacturers can compete fairly against Chinese imports. Editors’ note: For developments...
Duties & taxes
Topic spotlight
United States Deforestation Bill of 2023: What lies ahead?Ira Reese27 Mar 2024
United States Deforestation Bill of 2023: What lies ahead?
The U.S. Deforestation Bill was introduced in the Senate in November 2023. It aims to combat illegal deforestation by prohibiting the importation of products obtained, in whole or in part, from certain commodities produced on lands where illegal deforestation is occurring, and for other purposes. The legislative process is ongoing....
Sustainability
Country update
Volkswagen Xinjiang facility and forced laborIra Reese28 Feb 2024
Volkswagen Xinjiang facility and forced labor
As the European Union ponders statutes that respond to unverified claims by different organizations of the usage of slave labour in the manufacture of a variety of goods from China, a series of claims has been made against one of the Union’s largest manufacturers: Volkswagen. As we review the claims...
Sustainability
Perspective
Proposed U.S. Foreign Pollution Fee Act (similar to the EU’s CBAM)Ira Reese14 Jan 2024
Proposed U.S. Foreign Pollution Fee Act (similar to the EU’s CBAM)
EU importers of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen are preparing to submit their first report under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), based on emissions data from their third-country suppliers. What about other countries? Will they also introduce such climate measures, so that EU and other...
Sustainability
Country update
Sustainability: on CBAM and forced labour law
Anthony Buckley17 Dec 2023
Sustainability: on CBAM and forced labour law
This episode of the CKI podcast series examines how "sustainability" is reshaping customs and trade compliance, with a particular focus on the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and forced-labour import controls - subjects of direct relevance to customs and trade compliance professionals managing supply-chain due diligence and reporting obligations....
Sustainability
The issue with using supply chain information to control product flow from the forced labor area of ChinaIra Reese16 Apr 2023
The issue with using supply chain information to control product flow from the forced labor area of China
Most people that work in the worldwide import/export industry are familiar with the Rules of Origin and with terms such as “substantial transformation” and “double substantial transformation”. However, the concept put forth to prevent importation of Uyghur goods is totally alien to the community in that an importer who is...
Sustainability
Topic spotlight
Customs issues related to trade in purported forced laborIra Reese03 Mar 2022
Customs issues related to trade in purported forced labor
While many countries of the world find it morally correct to act regarding the importation of forced labor products, in the case of Xinjiang cotton the actions will be very difficult to achieve. Countries may enact “feel good” laws forbidding importation of such products and international bodies can develop guidelines...
Sustainability
Case law
Popular articles
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
28 Jun 2026
The U.S. is entering a new era of customs enforcement. But while Executive Order strengthening customs enforcement sets an ambitious agenda, can CBP realistically deliver it after decades of declining trade expertise? This article explores what the Order means in practice and what importers should do now to reduce their...
Country update
Trade policy
The long and winding road: pursuing a bad trade decision by a customs officer in the United States
The long and winding road: pursuing a bad trade decision by a customs officer in the United States
24 Jan 2025
In the US, the law allows an importer to contest adverse decisions on their customs entries for a number of reasons including differences in appraised value, classification and rate of duty, exclusion from entry and refusal to pay a drawback claim. Anyone who either advises importers or directly pursues what...
Perspective
Classification
U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their effects
U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and their effects
16 Jun 2024
On 14 May, U.S. President Joe Biden placed a 100% tariff duty rate on imports of Chinese Electric Vehicles (EVs). The reasoning was that the low cost of Chinese EVs needs to be counterbalanced by tariffs so that domestic manufacturers can compete fairly against Chinese imports. Editors’ note: For developments...
Topic spotlight
Duties & taxes