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.
Cottage Grove is a city located 8 miles (12.5 km) south of Saint Paul in Washington County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, north of a backwash from the confluence with the Saint Croix River. Cottage Grove and nearby suburbs form the southeast portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 33,081 in 2007. The city is a bedroom community of Saint Paul and to a lesser extent Minneapolis linked by U.S. Routes 10 and 61. Once a rural township known for the state's first creameries and wheat production, the area was served by rail lines, river shipping, and grist mills. The primary settlers were from New England and left their architectural influence, which is preserved today. Formerly containing the railway station village of Langdon, the entire township incorporated into Cottage Grove in 1963. New Englander James Sullivan Norris, an early farmer, called his homestead Cottage Grove which was adopted by the town.