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.
Spencerville is a community in northern Choctaw County, Oklahoma, 12 miles northeast of Hugo, Oklahoma, adjacent to the Pushmataha County border. Spencerville, named for U.S. Secretary of War John C. Spencer, was home to Spencer Academy, a Choctaw Nation boarding school for boys. It was founded in 1844. It was here that Negro freedman "Uncle" Wallace Willis composed “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. He was inspired by the Red River which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. Spencer Academy was operated on behalf of the Choctaw Indians by the Presbyterian Board of Missions. Prior to Oklahoma's statehood Spencerville was in Towson County, Choctaw Nation--but only barely. Nearby Frazier Creek formed the boundary separating it from Cedar County to the north. The Kiamichi River formed the boundary separating it from Kiamitia County (Kiamichi County) to the west. A United States Post Office operated at Spencerville, Indian Territory from January 22, 1844 to July 22, 1847 and was established again on May 17, 1902. The community and its post offices took their name from the academy. The academy later relocated to Nelson, Oklahoma several miles to the west. Like the community of Hamden -- also on the Choctaw and Pushmataha county boundary -- and Honobia, on the Pushmataha and Le Flore county border -- Spencerville straddles the county line and defies classification as belonging solely to one county or the other. Residents of both counties traded there, used its postal services, and worshipped there. The site of old Spencerville is less than 1,000 yards from the Pushmataha County border.