Playas is a small unincorporated town in Hidalgo County, the "bootheel" of the southwestern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is a former company town, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for several hundred employees of its then-new Playas Copper Smelter, located ten miles south of the development. Over 250 rental homes, six apartment buildings, a bowling alley ("Copper Pins"), a bar (the "Feelgood Lounge"), grill, a rodeo ring, a helicopter pad, a fitness center, a shooting range and a swimming pool were built for the community, which even has its own zip code (88009). At its peak, the town had about 1000 residents. Declining copper prices led to the smelter's closure in 1999; all of its residents were evicted within a year, though a skeleton crew of about a dozen employees remained in the area. The smelter, about 40 miles (60 km) north of the border with Mexico, has been nicknamed La Estrella del Norte by illegal migrants using its lights as a beacon for crossing into the country. Four years later, New Mexico Tech agreed to purchase the town and the surrounding 1200 acres (4.9 km²) for $5 million, using Department of Homeland Security funds secured by Pete Domenici. The town is now a training and research facility for the university’s first responders and counter-terrorism programs, supported by tens of millions of dollars in federal funds. For a while, many of the vacant houses were being used by the US military forces that are assisting the US Border Patrol in the area; however, now they are being housed elsewhere. The region, the smelter and the new facility are pivotal features in Michael McGarrity's Kevin Kerney novel "Nothing But Trouble" (2005).

Immigration Law Lawyers In Playas New Mexico

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What is immigration law?

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.

Answers to immigration law issues in New Mexico

The most commonly used non-immigrant visa by US employers, the H-1B classification applies to foreign nationals who...

In general, a foreign national who wishes to immigrate to the United States through family relationship must have a...

Foreign nationals desiring to enter the United States temporarily for the purpose of consulting with business...

L-1 intracompany transfer visas are available to foreign nationals coming to work in the US for an employer that is...

The E-1 or E-2 non-immigrant status is for a national of any of the countries with which the United States maintains...

The R-1 Religious Worker visa status is for foreign nationals who wish to be temporarily employed in the United...

The O-1 nonimmigrant visa is available to those foreign nationals who posses extraordinary ability in science,...

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United...

U.S. Citizenship is obtained either by birth or naturalization. A foreign national may become a U.S. citizen either...

Employment Second Preference (EB-2)
Professionals Holding Advanced Degrees, or Persons of...