President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China and Hong Kong, a move aimed at disrupting illicit fentanyl shipments. Effective May 2, 2025, imports under $800 will now be subject to tariffs, with postal items facing duties of up to $50 per package by June. The policy targets Chinese suppliers accused of exploiting trade loopholes to smuggle synthetic opioids into the U.S. This measure aligns with Trump’s broader strategy to curb drug trafficking and strengthen border enforcement.
COMBATING CHINA’S ROLE IN THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages to exploit the de minimis exemption.
- On average, CBP processes over 4 million de minimis shipments into the U.S. each day.
- The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which exerts ultimate control over the government and enterprises of the PRC, has subsidized and otherwise incentivized PRC chemical companies to export fentanyl and related precursor chemicals that are used to produce synthetic opioids sold illicitly in the United States.
- Many PRC-based chemical companies hide illicit substances in the flow of legitimate commerce, including through false invoices, fraudulent postage, and deceptive packaging.
- While the U.S. previously offered a generous de minimis exemption, China enforces strict import restrictions and tightly limits de minimis exemptions, showing no similar leniency toward U.S. shipments.
- Last fiscal year, CBP apprehended more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at our borders, enough fentanyl to kill more than 4 billion people.
- It is estimated that federal officials are only able to seize a fraction of the fentanyl smuggled across the southern border.
- These drugs kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, including 75,000 deaths per year attributed to fentanyl alone.
- More Americans are dying from fentanyl overdoses each year than the number of American lives lost in the entirety of the Vietnam War.
KEEPING HIS PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: When voters overwhelmingly elected Donald J. Trump as President, they gave him a mandate to seal the border and stop the influx of deadly drugs. That is exactly what he is doing.
- On the campaign trail, President Trump promised “We will not rest until we have ended the drug addiction crisis.”
- Upon returning to office, President Trump immediately took action to seal the border and crack down on drug trafficking.
- President Trump implemented 20% tariffs on China to address the threat of the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, flowing from China into the United States.
April 2, 2025 The White House Washington , DC
Source: WH.gov , Midtown Tribune
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