CBP tells judge it needs 45 days to start tariff refunds

The agency said it hopes to have a system in place to process an unprecedented volume of refund requests.

Containers are stacked at the Port of Long Beach, Feb. 20, 2026, in California. | Damian Dovarganes/AP

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday told a federal judge that it cannot comply with his order earlier this week to halt the processing of illegal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump so the administration can begin issuing refunds.

“CBP is not able to comply with the Court of International Trade’s order of March 4, 2026,” the agency told senior U.S. Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton, who issued the ruling.

But the agency also told Eaton it hopes to have a system in place in 45 days to process an unprecedented volume of refund requests.

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