In California’s southern border region, immigration reform is a hotly debated topic. Now that Congress is debating the issue, the crescendo is reaching new heights. Clearly, it’s time to modernize our immigration system so we can effectively compete in a global economy. After all, strengthening America’s competitive advantage should be an overriding concern for those who serve us in office.

As CEO of CKE Restaurants, I have firsthand knowledge of the vital role immigrants play in growing U.S. businesses, spurring innovation and creating jobs. Our broken immigration system hurts individual businesses, like ours, that create jobs and thrive on economic growth. While each side in this debate has legitimate points and sincerely held beliefs, my hope is that inaction, fear mongering and political posturing will give way to rational compromise.

Two widely respected Southern California Congressmen, Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter, are key voices on immigration reform proposals. I’m confident they will guide immigration reform to a successful resolution.

Congressman Issa points to several substantive changes needed to improve current immigration laws. He supports stronger border security and the E-Verify program that helps employers verify the immigration status of potential employees. He also supports new programs such as the obviously sensible proposal to increase visas for high-skilled workers. That kind of practical thinking will better enable our nation to meet its workforce needs, stay competitive and create jobs for millions of Americans.

Likewise, Congressman Hunter supports stricter border control and co-sponsored a bill to implement the E-Verify program.

In California, the economic benefits of Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform are immense. A little more than a decade ago, the Golden State was the world’s fifth-largest economy. Today, we’ve declined to eighth-largest.

Immigration reform alone cannot resolve California’s economic woes, but preserving the status quo all but guarantees further decline.

California’s agricultural industry would greatly benefit from an easy and affordable temporary worker visa program. A Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) survey shows that for every H-2A worker visa, more than three additional jobs were created or preserved for U.S.-born workers.

The Dream Act would provide conditional permanent residency to certain immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors and graduate from U.S. high schools. A PNAE study estimates that the 550,000 people the Dream Act would affect in California could add nearly $98 billion to the state’s economy and create more than 384,000 jobs in the next 20 years.

A recent study by the National Venture Capital Association found that a third of venture-backed companies that went public since 2006 had at least one immigrant founder, including companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Zipcar and Tesla. The victorious conquests of tomorrow — whether we’re building new industries, creating revolutionary products, or erecting cities of the future — will be far more difficult if we fail to address immigration reform in a reasonable and compassionate manner.

We have every right to protect our borders, and any rational immigration policy has to address effective border control. But this shouldn’t blind us to the immigration debate’s economic issues. There is a difference between our nation’s legitimate concerns with respect to terrorists, drug dealers and smugglers, on one hand, and, on the other, people who want work as farm laborers in California. Our policies should reflect the reality of those differences.