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.
Barker is an unincorporated community in western Harris County, Texas, United States. It lies along local roads off Interstate 10 and seventeen miles west of downtown Houston. Its elevation is 102 feet (31 m), and it is located at 29°47′4″N 95°41′6″W / 29.78444°N 95.685°W / 29.78444; -95.685 (29.7843955, -95.6849469). Barker was originally built along the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which built through the area in 1895; the community was named for Ed Barker, a railroad contractor. The community's first postmaster was appointed in 1898. Although Barker was originally an agricultural community, the area is now primarily residential.