One Valley community is leading state efforts in helping to curb illegal residents in the state. The issue of immigration has been an ongoing debate across the Commonwealth.

Because of this debate, a dozen counties and communities have joined together to form a coalition to curb the number of illegals living in the state. Shenandoah County is one of these Valley governments working on the effort.

"We don't think there's a problem in Shenandoah County yet, but with everything that's happening in Prince William County and east, we're concerned that they're going to jump over to our county and become a problem here," says County Board of Supervisors Chair Dick Neese.

Problems involving illegal immigrants have stemmed from social services to jobs to other aspects of community life.

Neese says, "We don't want it to develop into a problem and necessarily take jobs from the local citizens but maybe get involved in the social services benefits that really the citizens are qualified for not the illegals."

The coalition hopes to make recommendations to the General Assembly in order to create and maintain laws to limit accessibility of services and other options for illegal immigrants.

"The only time they'd be processed is if they were taken to the jail for other issues and not necessarily arrested, but then they would do background checks to see if they are legal, paper work's correct, things like that," says Neese.