Slamming shut the loopholes that bad actors exploit
By Peter Navarro | Washington Times | June 7, 2026
OPINION:
A secure border means a safe and prosperous America. That is a central tenet of the Trump presidency.
In the first days of President Trump’s second term, he moved with speed and force to halt the human invasion of illegal aliens across our southern border. Now he is applying that same principle to America’s other border: the customs border.
Every day, millions of goods enter the United States through ports, airports, express carriers, warehouses and e-commerce channels.
Many come from honest companies that follow the rules, pay the duties owed and compete fairly. Yet too many come from bad actors that hide behind shell companies, foreign importers of record, phony paperwork, undervaluation schemes, counterfeit labels and transshipment routes designed to evade U.S. tariffs and trade laws.
That is neither free nor fair trade. That is customs fraud.
Mr. Trump’s new customs border executive order cracks down hard on the criminals, smugglers and trade cheats who evade tariffs, import illicit drugs and ship counterfeit, unsafe and/or illegally sourced products directly into American homes.
Just as importantly, the order will accelerate a new artificial-intelligence-enabled “Detective Border” now being rapidly deployed by an innovative Customs and Border Protection agency.
Read more at the Washington Times