in effect
This is Executive Order 14226, signed March 2, 2025, a presidential action that amends an earlier tariff order. It changes one provision (section 2(h)) of Executive Order 14193, the order that imposed duties on goods tied to the flow of illicit drugs across the northern border. It directs how the “de minimis” duty-free exemption is handled under those tariffs.
Under U.S. law (19 U.S.C. 1321), low-value shipments can normally enter the country duty-free through what is called “de minimis” treatment. This amendment says that duty-free de minimis treatment stays available for the covered goods for now. That exemption will end only when the Secretary of Commerce notifies the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and quickly process and collect the tariff revenue owed on those goods. In short, the tariff-free exemption continues until the government confirms it can actually collect the tariffs, at which point the exemption is removed. No specific dates, dollar amounts, or deadlines are set in the order; the trigger is the Commerce Secretary’s notification.
Importers and shippers sending covered low-value goods across the northern border are directly affected, since they can keep using the duty-free exemption until Commerce reports it is ready to collect tariffs. The Secretary of Commerce is given the role of deciding when collection systems are adequate and notifying the President. The order also states it creates no legal rights that any person or party can enforce against the U.S. government.