who were "deported'' because they did not have the proper paperwork.

And Opposition member Gary Pitman has expressed his disappointment Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox refused to answer questions posed in the motion to adjourn on Friday night in the House of Assembly.

Reports emerged last week that Immigration officers sent the brokers back to New York to await paperwork -- they were back in the Island within a day.

In the past Mr. Pitman said, the brokers would have been warned not to repeat the mistake and allowed to work, or would have had to wait until the paperwork had been produced.

The brokers were here to introduce special software to a local company.

"My concern is that we shouldn't be so rigid about these things when we're trying to compete on the global market,'' Mr. Pitman said. "We're trying to attract business.

"My thing is would the Caymans do something like this?'' he added "I hear they were almost treated like criminals. They were told they could not stay to work, taken to a hotel by an officer who stayed with them, and then escorted out the next morning.

"Are we causing problems for international business with this? If we are tightening up on these temporary permits the Minister or her technical officers should have done some public relations to alert people.'' Mr. Pitman said he understood Ministers do not always have information about such incidents at hand.

But he said he was "sufficiently concerned'' to ask Ms Cox during the motion to adjourn.

Brokers sent back "I thought it was not getting the attention it deserves and perhaps she felt that it should be dealt with during ministerial questions,'' he added.

"They could have been given 24 hours to get their affairs in order and avoid them going all the way back. They were honest. If that kind of thing gets out, who knows what will happen in international business.'' Mr. Pitman said his information was that a secretary had forgotten to provide the brokers with the necessary documentation and that the men were back in the Island after a short delay.

At the end of a lengthy first session of this term, Mr. Pitman was the only MP to speak during the motion to adjourn.

He asked "for clarification'' but Ms Cox shrugged and said she would not answer questions at that time.

Mr. Pitman is a former Immigration board chairman and an executive in international business.

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY HOA