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Local Police Try to Fight Illegal Immigration
Morristown, Hamblen County (WVLT) - East Tennessee is seeing an influx of illegal immigrants, and the Hamblen County Sheriff's Department says it wants more of them deported. But immigration officials say they're doing all they can and they must prioritize who they go after.

"It's a big problem in Hamblen County," says Rookie Inman, Hamblen County Sheriff's Dept.

Chief Jailer Rookie Inman is talking about immigrants behind bars.

"We've got 32 of them so far this month mostly DUI's, PI's," says Inman.

On any given day 6 to 8 immigrants are housed in this jail. And sheriff's officials say around six of them are illegal.

"They're sentenced to 2 days 10 days 7 days of incarceration, it's a burden on the tax payers of this county," Inman says.

And Inman says the illegal immigrants get out of jail and end up coming right back in.

He says the Sheriff's Department isn't getting help in trying to close the revolving door.

"There's no process unless it's a serious charge they just don't come," Inman says.

They being immigration and customs enforcement agents.

"Here in Knoxville we have 6 agents including myself to handle Eastern Tennessee also two agents in Chattanooga,� says Gary Slaybaugh, from immigration & customs.

Slaybaugh says not only are there few agents, but after 9/11 they also became in charge of other things like terrorism, sexual predators, drug investigations, etc.

So "as far as taking everyone illegally here, not going to happen," Slaybaugh says.

Slaybaugh says they can only start the process of possible deportation on illegal immigrants who have been convicted of major crimes and pose a danger to society. "Or if deported the person before we would pick them up."

The government says it's doing what it can, but folks in Hamblen County say that's not good enough.

Immigration officials say last year they deported about 350 illegal immigrants from Knoxville, and another 200 in Chattanooga.