Immigration law determines whether a person is an alien, the rights, duties, and obligations associated with being an alien in the United States, and how aliens gain residence or citizenship within the United States. It also provides the means by which certain aliens can become legally naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship. Immigration law serves as a gatekeeper for the border of the nation, determining who may enter, how long they may stay, and when they must leave. Immigration lawyers represent persons seeking temporary and permanent residency (green cards) status in the U.S., those interested in obtaining U.S. citizenship through a process called naturalization, and clients facing deportation and removal. Immigration attorneys may also represent businesses seeking to secure temporary visa status for foreign employees.
La Honda is a small unincorporated town in San Mateo County in the state of California. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Silicon Valley and the Pacific coast of California, western United States. The population of the Cuesta La Honda subdivision is approximately 1,500, with a similar number in the surrounding area. It is near the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve. It is situated on State Route 84 on its downward slope towards the Pacific ocean, that is, on the ocean side of the Coastal Range. The ZIP Code for La Honda is 94020 and the community is located in area code 650. Wired numbers in the La Honda telephone exchange follow the pattern 747-xxxx while wired telephones in and around the Middleton Tract work out of the Los Altos exchange with 94x-xxxx numbers. The U.S. Geological Survey says Lahonda is a historic variant of the modern spelling. The book A Separate Place by Charles Jones describes the people, history and landscape of La Honda.