The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑CA), sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin requesting a briefing on how the department is applying the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The law, passed in 2021, directs the agency’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to block imports made wholly or partially with forced labor in the People’s Republic of China.

Letter outlines ten specific concerns

The bipartisan letter, signed by four Republicans and four Democrats, asks DHS and Customs and Border Protection to clarify what steps they are taking to update the UFLPA Entity List. Khanna praised the agency’s recent addition of 43 companies in July, noting that the administration appears to be responding to congressional pressure.

“For a year there was little movement,” Khanna said. “Now we have 44 companies on the list, and we hope the letter will spur further action.”

Economic and national‑security stakes

Khanna framed the issue as more than a human‑rights concern. He warned that American steel, aluminum and textile producers cannot compete with goods made by forced Uyghur labor, which often enter the U.S. market at artificially low prices. “If China is using slave labor to undercut our manufacturers, that is unfair trade and a threat to our national security,” he told Fox News Digital.

The letter also cites a New York Times report alleging that cotton used in the popular “Labubu” dolls comes from forced‑labor farms in Xinjiang. Khanna said the dolls illustrate how everyday consumer products may be linked to the oppression of an illegal immigrant minority in China.

China’s evasion tactics

According to the committee, Chinese firms frequently route production through third‑country facilities in Malaysia and Vietnam to skirt UFLPA restrictions. Khanna urged DHS to trace products back to their true source and block any items tied to forced Uyghur labor from entering the United States.

Bipartisan support for fair trade

While the issue cuts across party lines, the letter underscores a shared belief that American consumers deserve fair competition. “Most Americans support trade, but they do not want to buy goods made by slaves,” Khannan concluded.

The administration has not yet responded to the request for a briefing. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS, CBP, the Chinese Embassy, and Pop Mart, the maker of Labubu dolls, for comment.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.