U.S. Customs and Border Protection scrutinized over Dominican Republic forced labor claims

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is facing scrutiny following reports that forced labor continues in sugarcane fields in the Dominican Republic. The nonprofit Corporate Accountability Lab released a report Tuesday, based on over three years of investigation, asserting that forced labor persists in the region.

In 2022, the CBP had banned imports of sugar and other products from Central Romana Corporation, Ltd., citing allegations of worker isolation, wage withholding, and abusive living and working conditions. However, that ban was lifted last year during the Trump administration.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has requested administrative records and documentation regarding the reversal of the ban. Wyden accused the agency of appearing to “abruptly abandon its own established administrative procedures” and suggested that circumventing trade enforcement for “politically connected, billionaire-owned corporations” undermines U.S. trade policy integrity.