U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seizing bitcoin mining ASICs at ports of entry across the United States at the request of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the agency has also started detaining MicroBT and Canaan units, according to CBP documents Blockspace reviewed and sources familiar with the matter.
The seizures and new import holds are an escalation of the CBP’s detainment of Antminer S21 and T21 units last year. The CBP likely detained these units because they contained AI chips from the now trade-restricted chip company, Sophgo. But now, the CBP has broadened the scope of its scrutiny to target MicroBT and Canaan ASICs as well, while also seizing Bitmain units for the first time since the CBP started taking action last fall.
Read More: Officials are halting Bitmain units at U.S. ports, industry firms report
One affected source said that it had $5 million worth of equipment seized.
“This is to inform you that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized the property described below at SF INTL AIRPORT on January 10, 2025: BITMAIN S21 PRO 200TH CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING MACHINE,” a CBP letter shared with Blockspace reads (emphasis theirs).
The letter states that the miners were “seized and subject to forfeiture” according to U.S. legal code provision 19 USC 1595a(c)(2)(A). It specifically cites sections of the provision that pertain to unauthorized communications equipment, radio frequency equipment that causes interference, and equipment that is not FCC approved or compliant with the agency’s rules.
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Speaking to the increased scope of detainment, Synteq Digital cofounder and CEO Taras Kulyk said that “virtually every Asian ASIC manufacturer is being impacted by customs clearance issues.”
One source said that multiple clients have had hardware detained and that the custom clearance issues are now occurring at numerous ports (previously, Detroit and San Francisco were the only reported chokepoints). Another affected company is seeking partners to take legal action against the government for the seizures.
Bitmain is the largest producer of Bitcoin mining units in the world, dominating roughly 80% of the ASIC market. A Beijing-based firm, Bitmain moved its manufacturing capacity outside of China following the first wave of Trump tariffs in 2018. Rival manufacturers Canaan and MicroBT have clearer ties to U.S. markets; Canaan is a Nasdaq-listed company, while MicroBT assembles some of its units in U.S. factories.
Blockspace did not receive comments back from the FCC or CBP before publishing. Check back for further updates. This is a developing story.
Photo by Nick Morales on Unsplash
