Maxeon Americas, Inc. v. United States
- Lyall Burgess
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
Not a headline we expected to see but it seems that Maxeon has run out of options. Since July 2024 they have had 156 containers full of solar panels detained by Customs & Border Patrol (CBP). The panels were coming from Maxeon's factory in Mexico to the US, as many shipments have done in the past, but this time Maxeon was asked to prove that forced labor was not used in their production.
The main law prohibiting the import of solar panels and related materials made with forced labor is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Since going into law in 2022, CBP has detained billions of dollars in electronics equipment including solar panels. The CBP data reveals they stepped it up in June 2024:
January thru May 2024 - $5.73 million detained by CBP
June 2024 alone - $15.67 million detained by CBP
Since 2022, Maxeon has made over 8,000 shipments from Mexico into the US in full compliance with UFLPA.
With future shipments of solar panels possibly subject to the same detainment it in effect put a stop to all further importation of Maxeon solar panels into the US. Despite Maxeon having complied with UFPLA for 8,000 shipments between 2022-2024, CBP alleged a lack of sufficient documentation to prove compliance in June 2024! Maxeon disagreed saying they have provided clear evidence to the contrary and as such is now contesting CBP's decision at the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Maxeon Americas, Inc. v. United States
1:25-cv-00074 | U.S. Court of International Trade
Plaintiff: | Maxeon Americas, Inc. |
Defendant: | United States |
Case Number: | 1:2025cv00072 |
Filed: | April 21, 2025 |
Court: | U.S. Court of International Trade |
What does this mean for the future?
The recent update we can see online from the Court dockets is that on July 22nd, 2025 there was an "Order of Assignment to a Judge". And more recently on September 11th, 2025 an "Order on Motion for Extension of Time to File Answer to Complaint." So CBP is asking for an extension to reply and we wait to see what happens and hope that these panels are released very soon. In the meantime, Maxeon has been busy starting a 5-year lease on an existing factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico so they can rapidly deploy as assembly line. This is ahead of their planned new factory build, also in Albuquerque, NM.
Maxeon has been working hard on making available a solar panel assembled in the US and the first product we will start shipping out to customers at the end of September 2025 is the Maxeon 415W-R Click below to pre-order yours today.
