# ‘What’s next for migrants?’: The fight for immigration reform after Trump’s midterm defeat

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/whats-next-for-migrants-the-fight-for-immigration-reform-after-trumps-midterm-defeat/
- Published: 2026-11-07T04:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T05:26:05+00:00
- Original publisher: El País (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-11-07/whats-next-for-migrants-the-fight-for-immigration-reform-after-trumps-midterm-defeat.html
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Trump says he is willing to negotiate immigration policy with Democrats.
- Activists want an end to raids and legal status for undocumented migrants.
- Reagan’s 1986 law granted status to nearly three million people.

## Summary

Donald Trump has signalled he is open to negotiating immigration policy with Democrats after their sweeping midterm gains, creating a possible opening for renewed reform. Activists see the shift as a chance to press for an end to raids and legal status for undocumented immigrants, while warning Democrats not to repeat Barack Obama’s failure to deliver on reform.

The debate comes as the United States approaches 40 years since Ronald Reagan signed the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. It granted legal status to nearly three million people who had lived continuously in the country since before 1 January 1982, many of them Mexican. The article says immigrants contribute $1.6 trillion to the US economy and describes a shift from that amnesty towards raids and mass deportations.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.