Mexico issues first import block under its forced labour prohibition

Mexico's labour ministry blocks tomato imports linked to documented forced labour, exercising powers adopted under USMCA commitments for the first time.

Mexico became the third North American jurisdiction to actively enforce a forced labour import prohibition, blocking produce shipments after an investigation documented withheld wages and confiscated identity documents at origin farms.

The action signals that USMCA's labour provisions are creating a continental enforcement net, with goods refused entry in one member state increasingly flagged by the other two.