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.
Ringgold is a city in Catoosa County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,422 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Catoosa County. Ringgold is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was incorporated on December 18, 1847 and was named after Samuel Ringgold, a hero of the Battle of Palo Alto in the U.S. -Mexican War. Ringgold is where the locomotive General stopped during the great locomotive chase on April 12, 1862. Ringgold is also home to the historic Ringgold Depot which still contains bullet marks from the American Civil War. The Battle of Ringgold Gap took place here on November 27, 1863. Confederate Major General Patrick Cleburne with 4,100 men used the mountain pass known as the "Ringgold Gap" to stall the advance of Union Major General Joseph Hooker and his troops. General Joseph Hooker's troops were over 12,000 strong. It was a Confederate victory because it allowed Confederate artillery and wagon trains to move safely through the "Ringgold Gap" unharmed while inflicting high Union casualties. On March 14, 2002, a sudden heavy fog played havoc with morning traffic and contributed to one of the worst traffic pileups in history; 125 vehicles crashed on Interstate 75 South and 4 people died. The city also gained some notoriety for erecting a display that included the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and a third blank frame. The stated purpose of the third frame was to include alternate beliefs, but the city agreed to remove the display as part of a settlement of complaints. Entertainer Dolly Parton's husband Carl Dean, is from Ringgold, and the couple married at the Ringgold Courthouse in 1966. George Jones and Tammy Wynette were also married in Ringgold. The city has traditionally been a "marriage center" because of the short waiting time after blood tests; one testing laboratory in the community offers a combination test/wedding package and sells clocks with the inscription, "I got married in Ringgold, Ga."