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.
Mazama (population 230) is a small village nestled in the Methow Valley of the Methow River in the eastern part of Washington. It is 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Winthrop and about 28 miles (45 km) from the Canadian border. Located on the eastern flank of the Cascade mountain range, forests of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine cover Mazama and the surrounding area, which is home to one of the world's longest cross-country skiing trails, stretching for 120 miles (193 km) and running through the town itself. Mazama's town center elevation is 2,178 feet (664 meters) and it is located 2.7 miles south, and 4,700 feet below Goat Peak. Mazama and Winthrop recorded the coldest temperature ever measured in Washington state at −48 °F (-44.4 °C) on December 30, 1968. In the 19th century the town was called "Goat Creek". When a post office was secured in 1899 the settlers chose a name they thought was Greek for "mountain goat". They later discovered that they had looked in the wrong dictionary. Mazama means "mountain goat" in Spanish, not Greek. Since 2006, Mazama has been the site of Caps Camping.