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A man, deported once from the region, is back behind bars in the Tri-Cities on similar charges. Authorities deported the man to Mexico two years ago after he served time on drug charges. Last night, police say he led them on a three county police chase.

Unicoi County deputies attempted to arrest Abel Cigarroa on drug charges last night when he drove off. After chasing him through Unicoi, Washington, and Carter counties. He flipped his car on a curve on Old Milligan Highway.

Cigarroa is in the Unicoi County jail today charged with several crimes including felony evading arrest. He is the fourth illegal alien in two days to end up behind bars in the Tri-Cities region. Federal grand jurors in Greeneville indicted three others on drug charges. The arrests may be a sign of a growing problem.

Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris says he arrests illegals weekly, most on drug charges, but even after the government deports the suspects, they find their way back. He has a cabinet full of illegal alien files. It grows every week and many faces are all too familiar.

"It's groups that you can almost pick out because we've dealt with them before," Harris said. "It's just a revolving door."

Harris blames lax deportation rules and border security for the problem. He says if Cigarroa came here legally he'd be in prison.

"From looking at his history, he's come out pretty well by being an illegal, by being sent back to Mexico and easily assuming names and coming back," Harris said.

Although Unicoi County is arresting most of the illegal aliens, Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes says they are slowly becoming a problem in his county too.

In Washington County, deputies have arrested illegals from as far away as India, but Sheriff Ed Graybeal says immigrant crime is not a significant problem for his department.

Juan Chiu is a legal citizen who moved to the United States from Guatemala.

"We now hear nothing good when we talk about (illegal aliens)," Chiu said.

He thinks people have a misconception about undocumented workers. Chiu says on a whole their contributions to society are overlooked because of a few criminals.

"In a bunch of apples, there has to be bad apples," Chiu said. "It does happen, but the majority of the people are good."

Sheriff Harris agrees the immigrants who work in the fields and as landscapers are law-abiding citizens. However, for the others, he hopes a change in law will keep them behind bars. He says soon, when deported illegals re-offend, they will face jail time in the United States, instead of deportation.