It took long enough.

But it looks like President Obama is continuing to follow through on promises to make it easier for illegal immigrants to stay in-country.

Reform it is not. But it could be a thank you to the Latino nation that helped give the president a second term in November:

This week U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that it will be easier to apply for a path toward citizenship for undocuments here who have close relatives as U.S. citizens.

These folks can apply for a “provisional unlawful presence waiver,” essentially making them legal, starting March 4, according to the department.

Napolitano says:

This final rule facilitates the legal immigration process and reduces the amount of time that U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who are in the process of obtaining an immigrant visa.

The old way of doing things required illegals to go home and get an immigrant visa before they could claim they need to be here because spouses, children or parents are here.

That's a catch-veintidos, as you wouldn't want to stop that cushy job as a bricklayer to go back to Mexico, would you?

Under the new deal, if you prove hardship and other factors, you might be able to stay legally.

This could be a boon for those who came here illegally simply to give birth to so-called anchor babies, right?

Of course, illegal immigrant-haters will be up-in-arms. Illegal is illegal! God forbid folks who pick and prepare our food, wash our babies and mow our lawns get to have rights.

They should remain in the shadows. We kid.

Info.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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