House Committee urges DHS to tighten enforcement of forced-labor ban, cites Labubu dolls

A bipartisan group of eight members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Rep. Ro Khanna, wrote to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin seeking a briefing on the department’s implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The lawmakers want clarification on how DHS and Customs and Border Protection are updating the list of companies tied to forced labor, noting that 43 firms were added in July.

They warn that products ranging from steel and aluminum to silicon-carbon materials and textiles—such as those used in the popular Labubu dolls—continue to enter the U.S. market despite the ban. The committee cites a report alleging that cotton in the dolls originates from forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang. Khanna emphasized that the issue is both a human-rights violation and an unfair trade practice that harms American manufacturers. The letter urges DHS to identify and block more entities linked to slave labor.