5/27/26 — CBP Reports $20.6 Billion in IEEPA Refunds Disbursed via CAPE, Concedes $10 Billion Error; Judge Eaton Summons Commissioner for Next Status Conference

On May 26, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) filed an updated declaration in Euro-Notions Florida, Inc. v. United States, Ct. No. 25-00595 (CIT), describing the agency's progress in administering refunds of IEEPA duties through its new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) functionality in ACE. The declaration reports meaningful progress but concedes a significant prior misstatement of refund figures. Click here to read the full status report.

According to the declaration of Brandon Lord, as of May 22, 2026, approximately $85 billion in potential and certified IEEPA refunds had been accepted for processing through CAPE, and roughly $20.6 billion (duties plus interest) had been certified by CBP and transmitted to Treasury for disbursement. The declaration concedes that CBP's earlier May 12, 2026 refund figure was overstated by approximately $10 billion due to an “inadvertent error in the data query.”

Judge Richard K. Eaton then ordered the Commissioner of CBP to appear personally before the Court of International Trade. That order signals dissatisfaction the overall pace of refunds and requiring accountability from the agency head. The Commissioner is likely to be further questioned about CBP’s plans to ensure all eligible importers receive timely duty and interest refunds in compliance with the court's prior orders.

In the interim, importers owed IEEPA refunds can seek to (1) confirm that all eligible entries have been or will be covered by a CAPE declaration within CBP's 90-day reliquidation window, (2) verify that Chapter 99 HTSUS coding and other entry data align with CAPE validation requirements, (3) ensure ACH banking information and any CBP Form 4811 designations are current so that completed refunds are not delayed, and (4) continue to monitor developments.