This group makes no DAMN SENSE! If you are not hiring non-documented workers. . .THEN WHAT IN THE NAME OF RUFUS WILLIAMS III ARE THEY "RUNNING ON" about? Time for yinna to hire Bahamians or shut up shop. . .if you must "use" the compromised undocumented worker!! I SUPPORT THIS MEASURE WHOLE HEARTILY. . .THESE NIGGARDLY BUSINESS OWNERS ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS PROBLEM. . .time has come. . .THEY WANT CRIME GONE. . .BUT DO NOT TOUCH THEIR CRIMES. . .lol!

Persons who commented IN this article are speaking out of BOTH sides of their mouths and trying to send veiled threats!
Any business that has concerns with this are obviously breaking the law by hiring illegals.
Guess they don't know that only the 'numbers men" dem could break the law and get away with it!

What are they protesting? Such a silly position.

If The Tribune is correctly reporting what Mr. Maura said, then it does not make much sense. On the one hand he says the Minnis administration is establishing fear in the minds of the business owners, yet he is adamant that there should be no excuse for any business to hire illegal employees. So why the fear? Ms. Russell did you get this right? If so, as a journalist, did you question this discrepancy with Mr. Maura?

The Business leaders like Arawak Port Development, the only Port authorized to do business for some 25 years and a number of exceptional concessions to its preference shareholders and magority shareholders govt being one along with some 19 Bay St shipping companies and others, govt must point out any pressures it is likely to face from govt immigration action. Govt being a shareholder in APD and a number of other companies indirectly through its other agencies investments and shareholdings.
Furthermore ordinary shareholders as govt employees who received interest free loans based on their salaries from the Public Treasury to buy APD shares must disclose any shareholding interest if they are involved in raidong these companies.
All shareholders if they are required to call in any persons of interest while working for the gpvt and at the same time owning shares would be shooting themselves in the foot.
Back off govt if you are part and running the AwawakPort with poorly paid or any questionable foreign labour or illegals who may be on site that have to be replaced with Bahamians cause the dividends are likely to fall.

Comrades, enough talkin is enough, how many more questions does the red shirts supporters merchants class have to ask about the December 31, 2017 deadline to exit the Bahamaland, or at least makes their way ups Hawkins Hill to resister non-permit workers with ya cult leader merchant Brent? Evidently, a lot hill climbing and reading the Tribune ahead. Hilarious, every red shirts says, who me hiring illegals? Illegal means illegal and that applies all wealth classes - even if the red government has no genuine plan enforce. Might as well be a François in the PMO.

As a business owner the concern is this. When I hire contractors, I don't ascertain whether the workers are legal or illegal. Who does the Department of Immigration charge. If a jail sentence is imminent do you think the contractor will rise his hands. In my company we sometimes have over 50 contract workers who don't work directly for me. Why should I be punish because the government has fail at doing its job.

If your landscaper contractor hires illegals, then the landscaper is liable under the law. Simple.

Why do we always try to cloud the issues on the matter of illegal (Haitian) migrants????????
I am just baffled by this damn article. What are these guys really suggesting?? Are they indirectly threatening the government to NOT uphold the law? What the F is going in this country? Every damn business that I know who hire individuals always do a background check, demand that the prospective employee produce a government issued ID along with a police record. So stop this bullshit about employers NOT knowing who is legal or illegal. This illegal migrant thing runs deeper than I thought. We would be surprise about how many prominent businesses are benefiting from hiring illegal migrants. I see now that these people don't give a shit about the average Bahamians. They only care when you enter their establishment to do business. SMFT

Edison Sumner is the Uncle Tom for the neo-Bay Street Boys (aka Maura dem) ........... like Smith for GBPA

Who are the Bay St Boys as owners of Arawak Port??

Hubert Alexander Ingraham is the best person to answer your question, as he is the special interest group ass kisser that conspired with his pirate financial backers for this prime location that should have been utilized to maximize resort amenities to increase tourist spend for an unsightly container port!

WOW!! This is shameful. #ProfitBeforeCountry

WOW !!!! One dumb ass negro and one dumb ass white honky........money....money....and more money..... somebody please tell them the war is over .... get new parts for their heads.

A rock was thrown into a crowd of employers, now the most prolific offenders are crying out! These are the people influencing the illegal migrant problem by hiring them under the table to increase profit margins at the expense of the country at large!

The government now has the identity of the biggest targets to focus on. These people and others like them need to be made accountable for their crimes.

Mike Maura and his crew of pirates have held the country hostage for decades with outrages port fees when compared to U.S. port fees. They mercilessly rape the people before any merchants goods could be landed causing an artificial higher cost of living across the board!

As an importer of goods from China and Europe to the Bahamas and U.S., Mike Maura's port fees are ridiculous, unconscionable and would amount to racketeering in the United States.

Don't use the United States as an example they have there on Port problems with their ridiculous Jones Act and the Mafia control union port workers charging astronomical fees to offload a ship.

The Jones Act relates to Puerto Rico and is the reason they continue to fail. U.S. port problems are not the issue. Comparative "Port Fees" between the Bahamas and Florida are astronomically unbalanced and totally unjustifiable!

Mike Maura and crew are monopolizing, thieving, pirates holding the entire country hostage very similar to the Jones Act with Puerto Rico!

One of the reason why that particular aspect of the law is difficult to enforce is due to the fact that Immigration doesn't have the right to charge a Bahamian with anything even though they would be the entity to determine wither a person is employed illegally. Labeling the act of employing an illegal as criminal doesn't register in the Bahamian psyche because many of us would have done it one time or the other. The police would have to accompany the immigration officer during a raid and arrest the suspected employer. All the employer has to say is that he doesn't work for me.

time for this fnm to put up or shut up.trust me if they shut up pack your bags we will be run out of we own bahamas