Facebook Inc. (FB) Chief Executive
Officer Mark Zuckerberg said helping 11 million undocumented
U.S. residents is the most important aspect of immigration
issues he’s exploring with congressional leaders during a
Washington visit.

Zuckerberg, in remarks at the one public event during his
two-day lobbying visit, said the U.S. government should be more
open about national-security related requests for user data.

“The more transparency the government has, the better,”
Zuckerberg, co-founder of the most popular social-networking
service, said during a question-and-answer session with James
Bennet, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, a publisher of current-affairs websites and a magazine.

Zuckerberg wore a navy-blue hoodie sweatshirt, jeans and
Nike sneakers to the event, after changing from the dark suit he
wore earlier in the day for a meeting of almost 45 minutes with
Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Facebook shares have climbed to an all-time high above $45
as investors bet the company will benefit from growing demand
for its mobile-advertising products.

Growth and wealth have propelled Facebook, with more than 1
billion members using its service, to a position of influence on
issues including immigration reform. Zuckerberg in April
announced the formation of advocacy group Fwd.us to push for
more visas for skilled immigrant workers.

Immigration Debate

The advocacy group and this week’s visit further inject
Zuckerberg, 29, into a contentious debate. Congress is
discussing whether to open a pathway to citizenship for 11
million undocumented immigrants, even as some lawmakers call for
stricter border control. Fwd.us supports helping undocumented
workers become citizens.

Facebook, Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. also face
scrutiny over the information they turn over to the U.S.
government as part of the National Security Administration’s
surveillance programs. At a conference on Sept. 11, Zuckerberg
said the government “blew it” on balancing privacy and
security concerns.

Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, has drawn the
attention of U.S. regulators with changes to its privacy policy.
Privacy groups cited concerns on how the company handles user
information for advertising.

Facebook in 2011 agreed to periodic assessments of its
privacy practices for 20 years in a settlement with the Federal
Trade Commission resolving charges the company failed to protect
users’ privacy or disclose how their data could be used.

Congressional Rounds

Zuckerberg’s Washington schedule over two days includes a
broad discussion encompassing immigration issues with House
Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and other leading Republicans,
Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, said in an interview.
The top House Democrat, Nancy Pelosi of California, also set a
meeting with Zuckerberg, said Drew Hammill, a Pelosi spokesman.

Also on Zuckerberg’s schedule is a meeting with Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, said Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for
the Nevada Democrat.

Zuckerberg landed a one-on-one meeting earlier today with
Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democratic leader. The “very positive
and productive meeting” focused on the issue of immigration
reform, a top aide said.

“Senator Schumer thanked him for his hard work on the
immigration bill in the Senate, and they discussed the need to
continue working with the House to pass reform,” Schumer
spokesman Matt House said. “Both agreed to keep working and are
optimistic that the House will move forward this fall.”

To contact the reporters on this story:
Todd Shields in Washington at
tshields3@bloomberg.net;
Laura Litvan in Washington at
llitvan@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Bernard Kohn at
bkohn2@bloomberg.net