Last Friday’s multi-disciplinary controls in the Simpson Bay evening entertainment area caused quite a stir. They were witnessed by many visitors who frequent the targeted locations and in at least one case could no longer be served the meals they had ordered due to lack of properly documented staff.
People often ask if these types of raids can’t be held when the establishment involved is not so busy to limit any negative impact. However, that’s obviously when most personnel are on the job to be checked.
The immigration issue is a vexing one. Many believe that foreigners trying to make an honest living because circumstances in their own countries. don’t allow such should be left alone. However, that creates a host of other problems.
There are plenty of unscrupulous employers willing to exploit this situation to hire cheap labour by underpaying migrants and leaving them uninsured. Moreover, some of these people already owe various salaries to their recruiters before they even get here.
As Justice Minister Ana Richardson recently stated, businesses that fail to regulate their employees abuse the system. Undocumented workers who show no interest in becoming a legal resident perhaps to avoid paying their fair share of social premiums and taxes are in effect doing the same.
A Brooks Towers process was held years ago to legalise persons who could prove being gainfully employed. But countless newcomers have since arrived and remain “under the radar” in a vulnerable position, with the constant threat of incarceration and deportation.
