Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Strengthen Customs Enforcement

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2026 — President Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday directing federal agencies to strengthen customs enforcement to protect national security, foreign policy, and the U.S. economy.

The order, titled “Strengthening Customs Enforcement,” invokes the president’s authority under the Constitution and existing federal statutes. It applies to all agencies with customs responsibilities, primarily U.S. Customs and Border Protection within the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Treasury Department’s enforcement arms and the Department of Justice.

The order requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General, to submit a comprehensive plan within 60 days. That plan must outline specific steps to prevent importation of counterfeit goods, illegal drugs, unsafe consumer products, and items that violate U.S. trade laws.

It also mandates improved coordination among federal, state, and local agencies and directs agencies to identify gaps in current detection technology and personnel.

The directive changes the prior baseline by converting existing general customs authority into a time-bound requirement for new operational plans, performance metrics, and regular presidential reporting. Agencies must begin implementation immediately upon receipt of the order, with the first formal compliance report due no later than 120 days from June 3.

Downstream, the order forces DHS and partner agencies to produce concrete enforcement targets and resource requests that Congress will review during the next appropriations cycle. It also activates interagency task forces that must deliver measurable increases in seizures of prohibited goods.

The Justice Department must prioritize customs-related prosecutions identified in the new plan. These steps will directly affect importers, supply chains, and ports of entry handling an annual volume of more than $3 trillion in goods.

This is the first formal presidential action on customs enforcement since Trump returned to office. The White House release states that effective customs enforcement “prevents the importation of unlawful and dangerous goods [and] ensures importers” meet all legal obligations, language that tracks prior executive-branch emphasis on trade compliance and border security.

Primary sources: White House · Presidential Actions