25 states launch legal fight against Trump's 'forced labour' import tariffs
A group of 25 states is suing over US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to use federal statutes as a legal basis to impose tariffs on imports, adding to similar lawsuits by groups of small businesses that contend the levies - like many previously tried by Trump - are illegal.
New tariffs of between 10% to 12.5% are being levied on goods from 60 trading partners, including on salmon and other seafood from the UK and the EU (10%) and Norway and Chile (12.5%). Fish from Iceland and the Faroes is free from tariffs.
Trump administration officials claim that the countries have not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labour and are therefore being penalised by tariffs imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
'Unlawful' levies
The 25 states call the tariffs a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the Supreme Court in February, and are asking the US Court of International Trade in Manhattan to halt the levies, declare them unlawful, and order refunds of duties that have already been paid.
The legal action is being led by New York state, which is joined by the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement.
“No matter how the administration tries to justify it, the law and our Constitution are clear that the president does not have the power to impose sweeping tariffs on whatever countries he wants. I will continue to stand up to this administration’s illegal policies that threaten to raise costs for New Yorkers.”
'A tax on families'
New York governor Kathy Hochul said: “President Trump’s illegal tariffs are nothing more than a tax on hardworking families, driving up the cost of groceries, household essentials, building materials, and countless everyday goods that New Yorkers rely on.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that this administration cannot ignore the law to impose sweeping tariffs. I will not stand by as New Yorkers continue to suffer the consequences of the President’s trade war, and I’m proud to join Attorney General James in fighting back against the Trump administration to protect families and businesses across our state.”
The latest litigation comes as the Trump administration continues to face fallout from its original April 2025 tariffs. In the months since those were ruled illegal, customs authorities have had to contend with refund demands from thousands of businesses that paid the roughly $166 billion in tariffs collected.
