The Trump administration Monday quietly rescinded an order that had blocked a major Dominican sugar producer with political ties to President Donald Trump from shipping sugar to the United States because of allegations of forced labor at the company.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection modified a “withhold release order” that had been issued in 2022 for raw sugar and sugar products made by the Central Romana Corp., blocking exports to the United States from the company. The customs website now lists the order as “inactive.”

Labor right groups expressed frustration at the change, saying that Central Romana, whose sugar had been sold in the United States under the Domino brand, had not significantly improved.

“We haven’t seen a significant enough change to warrant modification,” said Allie Brudney, a senior staff attorney at Corporate Accountability Lab, which has been monitoring working conditions on Dominican sugar farms. “This is a disappointing outcome, but we will continue to support workers in their fight for better conditions.”

— The New York Times