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.
Sierra Blanca is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census. The town, founded in 1881 at the completion point of a long-sought southern transcontinental railway, was named for nearby Sierra Blanca Mountain, which was named for the white poppies which grew on it (sierra blanca is Spanish for white mountain).