--- description: One topic that's sure to come up at Thanksgiving this year: Obama's action on immigration. Here are some key talking points. title: How to Argue About Immigration Over Thanksgiving image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5c233dc49ef30b7/69876aa1e20a87ff72a83909/turkey-thanksgiving.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Immigration](/tag/immigration/) ## Immigration Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How to Argue About Immigration Over Thanksgiving  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 25, 2014 3:18 PM CUT  Roast stuffed chicken with vegetables Roast stuffed chicken with vegetablesGetty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 25, 2014 3:18 PM CUT Americans may be living in states, cities and even neighborhoods that are divided politically, but there’s one place where people of all political stripes meet: the Thanksgiving table. This year, that means it’s pretty likely that you’ll be debating President Obama’s recent [recent executive actions on immigration](http://time.com/3598756/obama-immigration-action/ "undefined") with a relative who sees things very differently. But if you want to make the best case for your side, you’ll need to prepare. Below, we’ve put together a guide to how to argue about immigration while you wait for the turkey to cook. **_If you talk about amnesty_** **:** **And you support Obama:** “Obama isn’t giving anyone ‘amnesty.’ He’s just deferring deportations for three years. There’s no official pardon.” **Facts to back you up:** The deferrals will only last through 2017, when it would be up to the next president whether to continue the program. **And you oppose Obama:** “It doesn’t matter what you call it. Obama’s allowing people who came to the country illegally to stay.” **Facts to back you up:** The deferral program applies to as many as four million undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record and pay back taxes. **_If you talk about past presidents_** **:** **And you support Obama:** “Reagan and the first President Bush both took similar actions to let undocumented immigrants stay.” **Facts to back you up:** Ronald Reagan [signed a 1986 law](http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/110686a.htm "undefined") that granted amnesty to three million undocumented immigrants, while George H.W. Bush [allowed family members](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1f5e041c11294c318d11779be7d22119/reagan-bush-also-acted-alone-shield-immigrants "undefined") to stay in 1990. **And you oppose Obama:** “That was different. Congress had already passed a law granting amnesty. This time, Obama is going against the will of Congress.” **Facts to back you up:** Congress passed the 1986 overhaul on bipartisan lines and later made Bush’s 1990 order permanent with another law. **_If you talk about presidential power_** **:** **And you support Obama:** “Immigration is not like other issues. The president has legal discretion to decide whether or not to deport people.” **Facts to back you up:** The Supreme Court [has long said](http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120328/obama-immigration-executive-action-why-it-will-be-legal "undefined") that the president has the power to decide whether or not to prosecute a case. **And you oppose Obama:** “Today it’s immigration. Tomorrow it’ll be a Republican president deciding not to enforce tax laws. Where does it end?” **Facts to back you up:** When asked in 2013 what he could do to stop deportations, Obama said he was [“not the emperor of the United States.”](https://time.com/3595173/immigration-reform-barack-obama-republicans-executive-action/ "undefined") **_If you talk about politics_** **:** **And you support Obama:** “Congress had plenty of time to pass a bill. Obama’s just getting around classic Washington gridlock.” **Facts to back you up:** The Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill [passed on June 27, 2013,](http://swampland.time.com/2013/06/27/in-historic-vote-senate-passes-bipartisan-immigration-bill/ "undefined") and Obama [waited until Nov. 21, 2014,](https://time.com/3600463/immigration-reform-obama-executive-actions/ "undefined") to sign the actions — nearly 17 months. **And you oppose Obama:** “Obama signed this just before Republicans took control of Congress. Good luck getting them to work with him.” **Facts to back you up:** After the midterm elections, House Speaker John Boehner said that if Obama acted alone on immigration he would [“poison the well.”](http://time.com/3578515/barack-obama-immigration-reform/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3602672/immigration-obama-executive-action-thanksgiving/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3602672/immigration-obama-executive-action-thanksgiving/"},"headline":"How to Argue About Immigration Over Thanksgiving","datePublished":"2014-11-25T15:18:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:19:54.248Z","description":"Here's what you should say to your aunt or uncle","url":"https://time.com/3602672/immigration-obama-executive-action-thanksgiving/","keywords":["Immigration","Barack Obama","Thanksgiving"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5c233dc49ef30b7/69876aa1e20a87ff72a83909/turkey-thanksgiving.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5c233dc49ef30b7/69876aa1e20a87ff72a83909/turkey-thanksgiving.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"thanksgiving","caption":"thanksgiving","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3602672/immigration-obama-executive-action-thanksgiving/","name":"How to Argue About Immigration Over Thanksgiving"}}]}] ```