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.
Raymond (formerly, Wildcat Station) is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It is located 20 miles (32 km) north-northeast of Madera, at an elevation of 948 feet (289 m). Raymond has fewer than 1,000 residents. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Madera at Green Mountain Road and Road 600. The community is part of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area was either named for T. Raymond of Raymond & Whitcomb Travel Association in San Francisco, or Walter Raymond of Raymond & Whitcomb Travel Association in Boston. Walter Raymond founded the Raymond Hotel in Pasadena in 1886. He planned the hotel and received money for its construction from his father Emmons Raymond, who was a stockholder in the Santa Fe Railroad. When the town of Raymond was dedicated, its residents approached Walter Raymond and offered to name the town after him if he would cut the ribbon at the ceremony. The first post office opened in 1886. The original name, Wildcat Station, was replaced by Raymond when the Southern Pacific Railroad reached the town in 1886. The ZIP Code is 93653. The community is inside area code 559.