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.
Kerkhoven is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States, located roughly 100 miles (160 km) west of the Twin Cities region of Minneapolis/St. Paul along U.S. Route 12. It was incorporated as a city in 1881, largely due to the railroad recently built there. The population was 759 at the 2000 census. Kerkhoven is home to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School on the west side of the community. The current building (which replaced the 1904 McKinley Building complex) was constructed in 1994. Kerkhoven's population has declined during the past 50 years due to the decline of agriculture based jobs. The community is home to Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Evangelical Free churches. The local high school (Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints) claimed the 2008 Minnesota High School Football Class A Championship by defeating Royalton, MN.