Immigration officials were carrying out their duty when they stopped two Barbadian children from entering Bermuda.

That was the view yesterday of Chief Immigration Officer Mr. Neville Smith in response to a claim that the children were treated "very heavy-handedly''.

The claim was made by the youngsters' aunt Mrs. Jenny Trott who told The Royal Gazette her seven-year-old nephew Ray Albert Eversly and 10-year-old Tia-Lisa Harris spent hours in a "cold, small'' room at the Airport before being placed on a plane back to the US.

Mrs. Trott said neither she nor the children understood why they were denied entry.

And she noted that the children had parents who are legal US citizens and carried return tickets to the US, valid Barbadian passports and valid visas.

However, Mr. Smith said the children arrived with US visitors' visas, but had declared that they were residents of the US.

"That would immediately cause officers to be concerned,'' he said, "because that would say that these children could be high-risk passengers -- that is passengers who Immigration officers have reason for not admitting.'' Mr. Smith added that Immigration officers "did everything they could to make sure the relevant rules were followed and to make sure the children and their family were treated with respect''.

After talking with local US Immigration officers and contacting the children's mothers, Mr. Smith said Immigration officers and the children's parents decided that it was best to let the children return to the US that same day rather than face the possibility of not being allowed back into the US.

"The Immigration officers handled what was a difficult and unpleasant situation with tact and diplomacy'' Mr. Smith said. "They really felt sorry for the children.'' In fact, he said three senior Immigration officers were directly involved with the case because they were concerned for the children.