Trump Crackdown on Slave Labor Could Cost China $250 Million

The Trump administration banned the import of up to $250 million worth of Chinese goods produced using the forced labor of Uighurs as part of its ongoing effort to oppose Chinese human-rights abuses, according to a top national security official.

The Department of Homeland Security slapped import bans on goods produced by five Xinjiang-based industrial parks and companies suspected of using Uighur forced labor on Monday. Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary for the DHS, said that the bans—which he said will affect between $200 to $250 million worth of goods annually—are just a start. He confirmed that an unprecedented region-wide ban of all Xinjiang-sourced goods is currently in the works, pending the resolution of legal questions about such a ban.

"This order is intended to disrupt trade," Cuccinelli said. "The president strongly believes the American people are more than supportive of absorbing those sorts of disruptions in exchange for being able to interrupt the use of slave labor."

The DHS import ban will target a variety of goods, from hair products to cotton to computer parts. Cuccinelli stressed that the sanctions are "immediately appealing" for their stance in favor of human rights, as well as their protection of American businesses that do not rely on slave labor.