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.
Ronkonkoma (pronounced ron-KONK-uh-muh) is a census-designated place (CDP) and hamlet in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 20,029 at the 2000 census. The Ronkonkoma post office has the ZIP code of 11779, and serves parts of several hamlets and CDPs adjacent to Ronkonkoma also. Since 1988, Ronkonkoma has been the end of electrification along the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line, leading most service along the line to be referred to as Ronkonkoma Branch service. Ronkonkoma is also home to the Town of Islip owned and operated Long Island MacArthur Airport (sometimes referred to only as Islip), airport code ISP. The New York Air Route Traffic Control Center is located in Ronkonkoma, as is CVD Equipment Corporation, a nanotechnology and high-technology engineering company that is doing research on carbon nanotubes in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.