Bill Boegeman is correct. "It would be a mistake to advocate for an immigration policy based solely on emotions like compassion," he writes in his June 22 commentary "Immigration: Answers, elusive; perspective, invaluable." What else should be considered? My recommendation: the development and growth of our economy.

Over the last decade, Minnesota businesses have discovered that immigrants contribute to our economy in at least four distinct ways: as workers, entrepreneurs, consumers/taxpayers, and bridges to the world economy.

Almost 1 in 10 Minnesota workers are now foreign-born. Their workforce participation rate equals that of the U.S. born population. They are part of every one of our state's major industries. They're significant contributors to our technology businesses right along with food processing and building maintenance. Twenty-four percent of our computer design and 23% of our medical equipment workers were foreign-born in 2014. They accounted for 49% and 24% of animal processing and building maintenance workers, respectively.

About 23,000 of our state's immigrants describe themselves as entrepreneurs. That's just under 1 in 20 of Minnesota's new Americans. The businesses they own employ just over 53,000 Minnesotans. Our homegrown economy makes entrepreneurs critical to our vitality. Our 17 Fortune 500 companies started here and are products of Minnesota entrepreneurs. Almost 40% of these companies were started by immigrants or their children.

Immigrant shoppers add almost $12 billion per year to Minnesota retailing. And, they pay more than $4 billion in federal, state and local taxes. Anyone who doubts that this shopping makes a difference should visit downtown Willmar; take a walk along Lake Street in Minneapolis; or, for that matter, any city neighborhood or small town with a significant immigrant population. Once-vacant stores, offices and restaurants are alive again thanks largely to immigrant customers. Slowly, native-born shoppers are discovering these places, especially the restaurants.

Like it or not, the world economy is here to stay. Minnesota needs to be a full participant in it. That means boosting the share of our businesses that sell to the world while attracting international investors. Immigrants help us do both: directly, by linking us to foreign customers and investors, and subtly, by making Minnesota look and feel more like the rest of the world.

Our state's demographics make international migration even more critical for a changing and growing economy. Absent immigration, Minnesota's population declines, starting in 2039. Economies don't grow without people to innovate, produce the product or service, and then shop.

Economic considerations and compassion together yield a broad base of support for immigrants. A June 2019 Gallup poll reports that 76% of adults say that immigration is good for the U.S. Fifty-four percent add, specifically, that immigration is good for our economy.

Given this support, why haven't our Washington policymakers acted? They mistakenly believe that we voters will come their way if they simply take an extreme position, left or right. Preach it as if it were the word of God and, then, of course, refuse to compromise.

Nothing could be further from the truth. A growing number of voters are getting impatient with the absence of practical, persistent leadership by federal policymakers on immigration reform. One in four voters now say that immigration is their top issue. Sixty-five percent want current immigration levels to stay the same or go up. They are looking for Democrat and Republican leaders to get together and make a deal.

Impossible? No. For inspiration, look at our last major immigration reform legislation, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. That was a product of a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, and a Democrat speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill. Among other things, this legislation made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants while providing a route to legal status for unauthorized immigrants who had arrived before Jan. 1, 1982. A compromise: new employer requirements going forward and a path to legal status for most of those here without authorization. All 10 members of Minnesota's congressional delegation voted for the final bill: five DFLers and five Republicans.

History can and should repeat itself. Make 21st-century compromises on system administration, amnesty, border security and tuning future immigration to our economic and world conditions. Those compromises are a cheap price to pay for compassion and a sound economy.

Bill Blazar, of Minneapolis, is retired. He is a former senior vice president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.