Whitfield County, Ga., not far down Interstate 75 from Chattanooga, has long had a serious problem with illegal immigration. But there was a bit of good news recently when authorities in Whitfield County reported an increase in deportations of illegal aliens.

From 2009 to 2010, there was an approximately 50 percent increase in the number of immigration violators processed for deportation, said Capt. Wes Lynch. The number rose from 400 in 2009 to 609 last year.

Lynch heads the Whitfield County branch of a federal program operating in 25 states that identifies and deports illegal aliens after they come into contact with law enforcement because of crimes, traffic violations and so forth. Four counties in Georgia and one - Davidson - in Tennessee take part in the program.

Nationwide, the program, which operates under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, deported roughly 30,000 illegal aliens between October 2009 and September 2010.

That shows our immigration laws can work - if they are enforced.