The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has blocked imports from 37 Chinese companies tied to allegations of using forced labor to mine critical minerals and grow cotton in the controversial Xinjiang region. 

The 37 companies flagged by DHS were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, marking the largest ever expansion of the list since the UFLPA took effect in 2021. The law was originally drafted as a response to what the Biden administration has described as a "systematic" use of forced labors of religious and ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang province, and bans all imports of products manufactured in the region, or from a business on the UFLPA's list. Xinjiang supplies roughly 20% of the world's cotton, although both the U.S. and European Union have cracked down on imports from the region in recent years.

“In adding 37 companies to the UFLPA Entities List and bringing the total to nearly 150, we again demonstrate our relentless fight against the cruelty of forced labor, our unwavering commitment to basic human rights, and our tireless defense of a free, fair and competitive market,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a January 14 news release. 

Among the new additions to the list is one of the world's largest textile manufacturers in Huafu Fashion, 26 companies in the cotton industry, and a handful of other businesses in the solar energy, real estate and mining sectors.