Trump Administration Deploys AI “Detective Border” to Combat Tariff Evasion

The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy is rolling out an artificial-intelligence system dubbed the “detective border.” The tool will scan shipment data, compare routing histories, verify production capacity and ownership links, and analyze packaging patterns and X-ray images at ports to flag mismatches between declared and actual contents. The goal, according to the report, is to “detect, deter and prevent” illegal transshipment that circumvents U.S. tariffs.

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During former President Donald Trump’s first term, high tariffs on Chinese exports prompted many firms to shift production abroad, a strategy known as “China + 1.” That shift spurred investment in Vietnam, Cambodia and other locations. After Trump’s return to office, the administration imposed country-specific duties on several allies and major trading partners, prompting a resurgence of “shadow transshipment”—the routing of goods through third countries to evade levies. The new AI system builds on decades of trade-enforcement efforts that have traditionally focused limited resources on high-payout cases.

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• Exiger, an AI supply-chain firm, estimated that between February 2025 and February 2026, $75 billion in goods were illegally transshipped, eroding tariff revenue by $19 billion to $34 billion.

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• The report flags more than 40 countries as elevated-risk nodes, naming Mexico, Canada, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil and Malaysia as notable enablers.

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• The analysis draws on two government and three private-sector sources to rank countries by trade volume with China, economic integration depth, and “weak-link” advantages such as low labor costs or lax customs enforcement.

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It warns that tariff differentials increase incentives for illegal transshipment and that the AI system is intended to target the most financially impactful schemes. Peter Navarro, the administration’s trade adviser, framed the initiative as a deterrent, stating that the United States will not tolerate attempts to cheat the nation.

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• “This is basically a warning to the world — don’t try to cheat America,” — Peter Navarro, house trade adviser

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