Dominican Republic to require migrant work permits

The Dominican Republic plans to start penalizing all companies that hire illegal workers under a new labor regulation that has sparked anger among the Caribbean country's estimated 1 million Haitian residents.

Migration Director Jose Ricardo Taveras said Friday that business owners will have one month to comply.

He says he rejected pleas by several business groups to further postpone enforcement of the regulation out of growing concerns that it would result in a loss of productivity and revenue.

The Agrobusiness Board says an estimated 80 percent of workers on rice fields and 60 percent of those in banana fields are Haitian migrants.