WHAT THE ELECTION RESULTS MEAN FOR IMMIGRANTS.  Here’s 5 positive takeaways:

1.     Democrats won control of the House, which means they won control of House Committees.  This is a significant victory for immigrants.  Among other things, it will mean the death of  Republicans’ pending anti-immigration proposals to reduce family reunification or impose criminal penalties on being undocumented.  

2.    DACA legislation more likely now.  This means that there will probably be positive legislation like the Dream Act passing the House – something that never happened under the Republican-held House of Paul Ryan.  This would confront the Senate and Trump with having to approve a solution for DACA-holders or go on record as vetoing it—something that neither has yet had to do.

3.    Good riddance, Goodlatte. One of the most strident anti-immigrant members Congress was Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, who happened to run the House Judiciary Committee.  He used this post to block any reasonable immigration reform from ever being considered including legislation to help DACA recipients.  He’ll no longer have that power.  The new Committee Chair, Democrat Jerome Nadler, is likely to make a solution for DACA recipients a top priority.

4.  Adios Mr. Brat.  In 2014, Economics Professor and Tea Party favorite Dave Brat unseated one of the Republican leaders of the House, Eric Cantor, by attacking Cantor for simply being willing to consider immigration reform.  Long before Trump tried it, Brat cynically exploited fear of immigrants in his electorate in order to gain votes and power.  This election, Brat himself was unseated, by Abigail Spanberger, a first-time Democratic candidate.  Her website promises to support a solution for DACA-recipients and a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented.

5.   Building that wall just got harder. During his first two years, Trump has yet to get one dime from Congress to construct his wall and now, he’s even less likely to get it in his last two years…. But then again, no matter for as Trump has often repeated to his base: Mexico’s gonna pay for that.  It’s just that no one has told them yet.