In an op-ed published in the McClatchy-Tribune newspapers, Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that immigrants can strengthen economic growth, job creation, and competitiveness as this country faces a sluggish economic recovery and persistently high unemployment.
“If we’re going to continue to attract and retain the world’s most creative entrepreneurs who want to better their lives and add to our economy, we’ve got to adopt a rational immigration policy that harnesses the energy and innovation of enterprising foreigners”, Donohue wrote.

Endorsing a comprehensive immigration reform, Donohue outlined his recommendations to attract talented immigrants: “We’ve got to cut the red tape that holds back enterprising immigrants and ensure that we welcome job creators of every size and in every sector. It’s also critical that we enable high-skilled immigrants and foreign students to invest their talent in our knowledge economy. If we don’t, we’ll wind up doing something irrational – sending innovation to our competitors at the expense of our own economic growth and job creation.”