A human rights group is calling on the U.S. government to reinstate an import ban on products from the Dominican Republic's largest sugarcane producer, alleging continued forced labor practices on its plantations. The nonprofit Corporate Accountability Lab released a report Tuesday claiming that massive sugarcane fields operated by Central Romana Corporation, Ltd., which exports significantly to the U.S., continue to utilize forced labor.

The report, which spent more than three years investigating working conditions, noted that Central Romana Corporation's owners have ties to influential U.S. political figures. The company was previously investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for alleged worker isolation, wage withholding, abusive conditions, and excessive overtime. In 2022, the U.S. imposed an import ban on products from the company, but this was reversed in the following year.

Central Romana Corporation is partly owned by Florida-based Fanjul Corp., which also owns Florida Crystals. The Fanjul family has reported ties to both former President Donald Trump and the Dominican government.

Local civil society groups estimate that up to 8,000 workers, many of them Haitian migrants or descendants lacking Dominican citizenship, labor on the company's more than 173,700 acres of sugarcane fields. These workers have long reported inadequate wages and cramped housing lacking basic utilities, conditions previously observed by Associated Press journalists.

One worker, quoted anonymously in the report, stated, “Why would we stay? This way we are their slaves,” citing a lack of documentation preventing them from seeking other employment.

Corporate Accountability Lab has urged Central Romana Corporation to enroll workers in the national social security system, ensure payment of at least the minimum wage, permit independent unionization, and protect worker health. Another anonymous worker reported consistent underpayment and an inability to challenge pay decisions due to a lack of power.

The nonprofit asserts that a pervasive "climate of fear" exists within the industry and has called on sugar purchasers to adopt a worker-developed code of conduct. This sentiment was echoed by a U.S. Department of Labor study, which also described living conditions on the plantations as "inhumane" and "abusive."

Central Romana Corporation has contested the report's findings, stating it is "riddled with inaccuracies and untruths" and that the company adheres to local laws and international labor standards. The company did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

The Corporate Accountability Lab also called on the Dominican government to regularize the immigration status of sugarcane field workers, disburse owed pensions, and enforce labor and environmental regulations. The report specifically highlighted elderly canecutters awaiting retirement benefits and stateless individuals as particularly vulnerable.

"Governments of all countries should prohibit the importation of sugar and sugar-based products made with forced labor in the Dominican Republic," the nonprofit stated.