House Majority Leader Eric Cantor‘s primary defeat this week is being widely touted as a warning to Republicans contemplating immigration reform. The popular narrative has it that because Cantor’s opponent, Dave Brat, is a hard-line immigration opponent who accused Cantor of being “pro-amnesty,” immigration was the deciding factor in the race. But the facts don’t bear out this restrictionist fantasy.

First, whatever else one can say about Cantor — that he is one of the brightest members of the House, for example — he is no friend to immigration reform. NumbersUSA, an opponent of both legal and illegal immigration, gave Cantor an overall B rating in its “report card” on his voting record from 2011-2014, including an A-plus on reducing “amnesty entitlements” and an A-minus on “reducing illegal jobs and presence.” Cantor would have scored higher overall, but he voted for visas for high-tech and other needed workers, and the immigration restrictionists want no immigration, period.