I believe people are an asset, not a liability. America is the most immigrant-friendly nation in the world and we are also the richest; that is not a coincidence. Immigrants have been coming to our shores since the Pilgrims landed and they bring with them determination, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit that built this great nation.
Because of the importance of this issue, I'm happy to be participating in a virtual march supporting the passage of the Gang of Eight's comprehensive reform bill. Please join me in this effort today by going to www.MarchforInnovation.com. While there, click on the link to send a message to your senators via Facebook or Twitter and let them know you support this legislation, and would like it passed soon.
The economic growth we will derive from immigration reform is estimated to reduce the deficit by $2.7 trillion over the next decade. A comprehensive modernization of our broken immigration system would be a tremendous boon to our economy.
There is strong bipartisan support for this legislation in the Senate because it is a commonsense solution to a serious problem. That's not to say the bill does not have its critics -- it does, but this issue is far too important for sound bites and oversimplifications to dominate the debate. An all or nothing approach will do nothing but consign us to continued anemic growth, a furtherance of a shadow economy that benefits lawbreakers at the expense of those who play by the rules, porous borders, and a loss of innovation and entrepreneurial initiative.
I'm joining millions of Americans in calling on our leaders to do the right thing on immigration reform. Please join me in adding your voice to the debate. Go to www.MarchforInnovation.com and engage with your elected officials today.
Grover Norquist is the president of Americans for Tax Reform.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and The Partnership for a New American Economy, in conjunction with the March for Innovation, a virtual march taking place May 22-23 across a number of social-media platforms designed to call attention to the immigration-reform bill now before Congress. One of those platforms will be HuffPost Live. For more information on the march, click here.