Whether you agree or disagree with President Obama’s use of his executive authority to temporarily shield 3.8 million unauthorized immigrants from the threat of deportation (on top of the 1.5 million he shielded in 2012), this much is true: The Obama administration has permanently altered the immigration debate. The president and his lawyers are right to insist that his executive action has not granted these immigrants “legal status.” Rather, it allows unauthorized immigrants to apply for a three-year reprieve from removal, which comes with a work permit.