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.
Lithonia is a suburban village in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, and it is incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. Lithonia is located at 33°42′46″N 84°6′21″W / 33.71278°N 84.10583°W / 33.71278; -84.10583 (33.712658, -84.105897). According to the United States Census Bureau, this village has a total area of 0.8 square miles, all land. "Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek lithos, for stone. The huge nearby granite dome - the world's largest, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. The city of Lithonia is in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The Lithonia Lighting Company, a manufacturer of household light fixtures, was founded in Lithonia in 1946, but it was moved to nearby Conyers in 1957.