U.S. CUSTOMS CLARIFIES GUIDELINES IN RESPONSE TO SENATOR COLLINS’ CONCERNS ABOUT ILLEGAL MANUFACTURED HOMEBUILDING COMPETITION

Washington, DC – In response to concerns raised by Senator Susan Collins, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued revised guidelines that strengthen and clarify the federal rules that prohibit Canadian workers from constructing manufactured homes in the U.S. Senator Collins had asked CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to investigate reports that she has received from manufactured homebuilders in Maine, that Canadian workers were performing illegal construction work in the U.S. She wrote separate letters to the CBP Commissioner in March and to the ICE Assistant Secretary in April. Affected Maine companies had expressed concern to Senator Collins that some Canadian workers who are permitted to transport and deliver manufactured homes into the U.S. were then also "setting," or assembling, the manufactured homes at the delivery site.

"These activities not only violate our immigration laws, but also place these Canadian workers in direct competition with U.S. workers, and place American firms at a competitive disadvantage. Maine manufactured homebuilders should not have to compete against foreign workers who break the law," said Senator Collins. "I am pleased that CBP has taken a strong and decisive action to strengthen and clarify the rules that prohibit foreign transportation workers from also building manufactured homes in the U.S. This will make it clear to Canadian workers that they should not be engaging in these illegal activities."

Following Senator Collins' request that CBP and ICE review the concerns of Maine manufactured homebuilders, CBP this week issued revised field guidance that makes clear that foreign drivers and any other personnel who deliver portable dwellings or prefabricated parts into the U.S. "may not engage in building, construction, or other activities, such as clearing or leveling the site, sealing seams, installing steps, hooking up utilities, attaching the portable dwelling or prefabricated parts to the foundation or slab, assembling of the various parts of the portable dwelling or prefabricated parts, and/or securing them to one another."

Senator Collins is the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over CBP as an agency under the Department of Homeland Security.

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