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.
Pena Blanca is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 661. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pena Blanca's name is derived from the Spanish term for "white rock", peña blanca. However, without the tilde, pena blanca actually means "white sorrow" or "white pain".