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.
Farmington is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 37,844. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for the city is 43,573. Farmington is located at the junction of the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers, on the Colorado Plateau in the northwest part of the San Juan Basin. It is the principal city of the Farmington, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area, and serves as a hub for much of northwestern New Mexico and the Four Corners region. Farmington is known across New Mexico and throughout the southwest for its baseball and the Ricketts Ball Park, Home of the Connie Mack World Series. Farmington High School claimed the AAAA Baseball State Championship four years in a row from 2005-2008. Primary industries are natural gas, coal, and oil. Major coal mines are operated by BHP Billiton 15 to 19 miles (24 to 31 km) southwest of Farmington, and the coal is used for nearby electric power generation at the Four Corners Power Plant. A new coal-fired electric power-generating plant has been proposed in 2006 for the same area. The site of a 1967 underground nuclear test called "Gasbuggy", part of Operation Plowshare, was in the Carson National Forest about 50 miles (80 km) east of Farmington and about 25 miles (40 km) south of Dulce, New Mexico; the test was an attempt to fracture rock so as to facilitate gas extraction. The Navajo Nation (reservation) is to the West, The Ute Mountain Indian Reservation is to the NW, and the Southern Ute Indian Reservation is to the NE. Historic Native American sites are close by. Aztec Ruins National Monument and Salmon Ruins are ancient pueblo sites short distances northeast and east of Farmington. Mesa Verde National Park is about 40 miles (64 km) to the NW, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park is about 50 miles (80 km) to the SE. The city has been a target of several civil rights investigations, including the 2005 report, The Farmington Report: Civil Rights for Native Americans 30 Years Later.