WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German automaker BMW imported 8,000 Mini Cooper vehicles into the United States with components from a banned Chinese supplier, a U.S. Senate report released Monday said.

Congress in 2021 passed legislation to strengthen enforcement of laws to prevent the import of goods from China's Xinjiang region believed to have been produced with forced labor. A report by Senate Finance Committee chair Ron Wyden's staff said BMW imported 8,000 vehicles with parts from a supplier banned under the 2021 law and that BMW continued to import products with the banned parts until at least April.

BMW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)