Thread by @matt_cam

1/ HOW TO TALK ABOUT #IMMIGRATION ON THANKSGIVING

As I said on this episode of @RedirectPod, we may be able to reach into the alternate universe of right-wing news not by confronting w/facts, but getting Socratic w/questions

Some prompts for your table:

podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDov…

2/ Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remember your family's immigration history and pass it on to future generations.

Who came from where? When? What do you know about their lives when they got here? Do we have any living relatives who connect to our immigrant past?

3/ If any family came to the US from Europe before 1924, ask if everyone knows that they didn't require a visa to enter and that the simple checks at Ellis Island and other ports of entry have not been part of the system since then.

How would our family immigrate today?

4/ If your family's immigrant story includes the time-honored tale of a young man with nothing but an iron will and the clothes on his back seeking his fortune in America (as mine does):

What exactly is different about hard-working migrants seeking asylum at our borders today?

5/ Did you know that today's immigration rates are still not (proportionally) equal to those during the Golden Age of European immigration?

Do you agree with Donald Trump's statement that the U.S. is "full"? Why?

6/ Are you aware that recent immigrants a century ago (including our own family) had much easier access to welfare benefits, in that (unlike today's families) they were actually eligible to receive them? That they often did at much higher rates than today's immigrants?

7/ If your family's immigrant background includes non-English speakers: how long did it take them to learn the language? To become fluent?

8/ If your family fled desperate/dangerous circumstances in their home country: Asylum wasn't really a thing in American law until 1980 and the reasons for coming wouldn't really have been a factor before then. How do you think our family's plight would be received today?

9/ What does it cost society to maintain your life as you know it? How are *you* paying your way?

What makes you believe that immigrants working hard for better lives aren't also doing their part through their own contributions via sales, property, income, and payroll taxes?

10/ How do you believe someone in Central America whose family is living with constant fear of gang violence should come here if they want to? What's the "right way" if not seeking protection at our borders?

What's the process? How much does it cost? How does it work?

11/ BONUS ROUND (proceed with caution): What do you know about US intervention in Central America? About the root causes of migration to the US from our hemisphere? What, if any, moral responsibility might we bear for making these countries so much demonstrably worse?

12/ With all of these questions, try to cut through the standard Fox/Breitbart talking points and keywords and patiently tease out actual beliefs and understanding. Don't challenge, just ask. If you identify as white, I would suggest that you have a special responsibility to try.

13/ Need help? Feel free to steal my answers (and jokes) below, and to DM me if you need more.

Good luck, and happy Thanksgiving!

deportnation.com/all-possible-r…