An American business owner has slammed heavy-handed tactics by immigration who kept her prisoner in a hotel room before booting her off the island yesterday.

But last night Chief Immigration Officer Martin Brewer said normal practices had been used and he warned visitors not to travel without the proper paperwork.

Pam Randazzo, 45, who runs Dream Weavers in Connecticut, said she had been doing business on the island for seven years selling insurance companies merchandise to give to customers.

She said she was told by the Chamber of Commerce this time she didn't need a sales permit before travelling.

But when she arrived on the afternoon flight from New York on Monday she said she was held at the airport for two hours without explanation and then taken to Grotto Bay hotel where a male and female security guard stayed in her room all night and kept her awake.

She said: "I asked them to leave so I could change but they wouldn't wait outside the door. I wasn't like I was going to go anywhere.

"How do you expect me to sleep when they are up all night smoking and drinking coffee and using the phone?

"Then they turned up a five a.m. and told me I had to leave. I was held just like a prisoner. It was degrading.

"I hadn't done anything. If I made a mistake in my paperwork fine, but don't treat me like a criminal. If I need to have a permit you should have told me that.

"I can't believe they would treat an American like that. How much money do I spend every time I come here.

"I spend more than local people do, every time. It's ridiculous.

She said she wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom, or use the phone and police were called out by security guards.

Mr. Brewer said someone had said that local sellers were selling a product that Ms. Randazzo was hoping to import and that in these situations work permits were kept on hold until the situation was sorted out.

But Ms. Randazzo said no one had told her that any complaint had been made about her.

Dr. Brewer said it was normal to keep people secure when they had landed without permission. He said: "I am happy with the way it was handled."

He said Ms. Randazzo had only applied for her sales permit the day she travelled and when it was rejected by immigration it was too late to stop her arrival.