<p>SACRAMENTO -- The wait is finally over for tens of thousands of immigrants who, a federal judge said, were wrongfully turned away when they applied for green cards under a 1986 amnesty program.</p>
<p>Following a legal battle of more than 17 years, waged at every level of the federal judiciary and in Congress, U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton signed off Friday on a settlement that will allow eligible immigrants to seek legal status in the United States.</p>