Cornhusker State News

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Curtis (R-UT), and Chris Coons (D-DE), has sent a bipartisan letter to Christopher Pratt, Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF). The senators are urging FLETF to address concerns about forced labor transfers involving Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China.

The letter follows a joint investigation by the New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Der Spiegel, which reported that the Chinese government is moving thousands of Uyghur workers from Xinjiang to factories elsewhere in China. The report indicated that over 100 companies across at least five industries may have received goods or parts produced by these workers. A February International Labor Organization report noted that such labor transfer programs “severely restrict[] the free choice of employment.”

“On May 29, 2025, the New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Der Spiegel published a joint investigation detailing efforts by Communist China to ship tens of thousands of Uyghur workers out of the Xinjiang province—and into factories across China,” said Ricketts. “It is clear based off of the joint investigation referenced above that further measures are needed to drastically expand the UFPLA Entity List to address these forced labor transfer programs outside Xinjiang and crack down on Communist China’s evasion of U.S. law.”

Since June 2022, when enforcement mechanisms for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFPLA) began, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reviewed more than 11,000 shipments valued at billions of dollars. These include products such as apparel, automotive parts, chemicals, electronics, flooring, and solar panels. This enforcement has prompted companies to increase due diligence regarding their supply chains.

The UFPLA requires FLETF to maintain an entity list identifying organizations involved in recruiting or transferring forced laborers from Xinjiang or other persecuted groups out of that region. Currently there are 144 entities on this list; 37 were added in January alone.

In their letter addressed to Under Secretary Pratt, the senators wrote: “We write to raise concerns regarding increased efforts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to utilize State-directed labor transfer programs to circumvent the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFPLA).”

They continued: “It is clear based off of the joint investigation referenced above that further measures are needed to drastically expand the UFPLA Entity List to address these forced labor transfer programs outside Xinjiang and crack down on the PRC’s evasion of U.S. law.”

The senators requested a briefing from FLETF by July 18 on its planned actions against circumvention through forced labor transfers and engagement with private sector compliance efforts under UFPLA.

“We stand ready to work with FLETF to ensure it has both the resources and authorities necessary to tackle these grotesque human rights abuses that the PRC uses to artificially lower the costs of goods and undermine American workers,” they stated.