Many of DJI’s drones, including its latest consumer products, are stuck at the U.S. border, the manufacturer said in a blog post today. This is a customs issue and does not appear to be related to the US bill currently being proposed in the US Congress to ban DJI products (CCP Drone Countermeasures Act). However, the holdup means sales of DJI’s newest drone, the Air 3S, will be delayed, the company told The Verge.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cites the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) as the reason for the current hold-up,” the DJI ViewPoints team wrote. “However, this allegation against DJI is completely baseless and categorically false.”
DJI called the situation a “misunderstanding” and said it would send documentation proving UFLPA compliance. It added that the company has no manufacturing facilities in Xinjiang and does not source raw materials from the region, which is a red flag to the United States regarding Uyghur forced labor violations. It also said the company is not a publicly traded company under UFLPA and its supplies “subject to rigorous due diligence by respected U.S. retailers.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not yet commented on the matter.
The US House of Representatives passed a bill to block DJI drones, but the Senate removed the provision from the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. However, it could later be reintroduced as an amendment and incorporated into the final bill. If so, imports of new DJI drones could be blocked, but a ban is unlikely to prevent current owners from using their drones. According to Statista, DJI holds a large share of the global drone market as of 2021, at over 70%. This includes 90% of those committed by public security personnel.
