U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., is among 87 co-sponsors of new legislation supported by immigration-reform advocates.

CHICAGO — Fabian Gutierrez logged more than 60 hours a week slicing meat and stocking shelves with cheeses and milk at a neighborhood grocery for less than minimum wage and no overtime.

The Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration consulted people in government, business, labor, law enforcement, education and other fields in developing the recommendations. Immigration advocates and opponents, community organizers, business executives and immigration lawyers also weighed in.

“One of the most important things that Sergey Brin’s gift signifies, not just for HIAS but more importantly for the nation,” Mr. Aronoff said, “is the possibilities inherent in being a refugee. The debate over immigration has frequently become so bitter that an important element has been lost: refugees are as varied in their skills sets and contributions as the rest of us.”

From MIT alone, foreign graduates have founded an estimated 2,340 active U.S. companies that employ over 100,000 people.

This fall, Congress is expected to tackle comprehensive immigration reform. A Washington think tank says the best way to stop illegal immigration is with a guest worker program. KPCC’s Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

Ultimately, a comprehensive bill will pass only if employer groups decide it is a necessary way to assure a supply of legal workers.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services included Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in pilot program that gives temp residency to foreigners who invest at least $500,000 in new or established business that creates -- directly or indirectly -- at least 10 full-time jobs.

Until the two counties were approved for the pilot program, a $1 million investment was typically required to be eligible for the EB-5 investor visa, which required investors to employ 10 workers directly. The lower investment threshold could be a significant incentive for more people to apply, attorneys say.

Any plan to address future immigration should be flexible enough to adapt to changing
workforce conditions, including new, emerging industries. And it should be able to respond to
the workforce needs of the nation’s myriad industry sectors in a timely and accurate fashion.

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) today proposed creation of a new stream of visas to provide for the future flows of workers needed by the U.S. economy, stressing that comprehensive immigration reform legislation must include reform of the employment-based immigration system if it is to be effective.