US Authorities Release ‘Thousands’ of Seized Chinese Crypto Mining Machines: Report

US customs authorities have commenced releasing “thousands” of seized crypto mining equipment, signaling a potential shift in crypto enforcement strategies.

The Chinese-made crypto mining hardware were reportedly held at ports of entry across the US, two industry executives told Reuters.

“Thousands of units have been released”, said Taras Kulyk, CEO of Bitcoin mining solutions firm Synteq Digital. “At one point as many as 10,000 units had been stuck at various ports of entry.”

Kulyk added that some staff at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “didn’t like bitcoin mining.” They wanted to give the entire sector a headache, which they did quite well, he noted.

Background on the Seizures

Last November, Blockspace reported that CBP has been holding certain imports of Antminer ASICs at several ports including San Francisco and Detroit. Further, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requested the CBP to hold certain shipments of Bitmain ASIC miners at ports of entry.

According to sources familiar with the matter, both the agencies are not targeting other ASIC manufacturers like MicroBT or Canaan. Instead, the seizures are for Bitmain’s Antminer S21 and T21 series, the latest series of ASIC miners from Bitmain.

U.S. Custom & Border Protection + Federal Communications Commission began seizing bitcoin mining equipment late last year, industry publication Blockspace reported last November.

Blockspace readers knew 4 months early 🏎️

Thanks for the shout-out, @Reuters! pic.twitter.com/gTsX0ufFCn

— Blockspace Media (@blockspacepod) March 5, 2025

The enforcement actions come at a time when President Donald Trump’s moves to impose tariffs on China and several other countries.

Last month a new report revealed that the CBP had detained some of the Antminer units because they contained AI chips from the now trade-restricted chip company, Sophgo.

According to Ethan Vera, chief operating officer of Luxor Technology, the authorities reportedly flagged radio frequency emissions from the machines.

Trump Vows to Boost Domestic BTC Mining

According to Will Foxley from Blockspace, the escalation is partially part of the Trump administration’s movement to onshore a lot of these sensitive industries around silicon.

In a video message on X last month, he said, “All these Bitcoin miners are using massive amounts of silicon, making massive amounts of units and importing them into the United States.”

These seizures could prevent American mining firms from expanding their ASICs chips and limit Bitcoin hashrate growth, Foxley added.

Besides, President Trump has pledged support for U.S.-based Bitcoin miners, pushing hard for domestic mining. Last year, he expressed desire for all remaining Bitcoin to be produced in the United States, emphasizing the potential for the country to become energy dominant.