( CNN ) -- The U.S. Senate , the `` world 's greatest deliberative body , '' with a reputation for gridlock that surpasses even that of my native Los Angeles , on Thursday passed an immigration reform bill by a bipartisan majority . Please thank the Senate . As the fight moves to the House of Representatives , it 's a good time to reflect on just what this bill will mean for America and to redouble our efforts to pass it . The last major immigration reform bill was in 1986 under President Reagan . I was 3 , my parents had just bought their first computer and the World Wide Web was a dream . Many of today 's great tech companies were not yet on the radar screen . Our country has changed a lot during those 27 years , but not -- so far -- our immigration policy . Suffice it to say , if we can pass our generation 's immigration reform , it will be a really big deal . America 's greatest asset has always been its people , drawn here from all over the world . In the 21st century , our economic future depends on immigrants more than ever . The fastest-growing sector of our economy is the knowledge economy , where the main competitive difference is people . How immigration reform would affect 3 families . In a globalized world where people and businesses have their choice of countries to locate in , continuing to have the best trained , hardest-working and most productive people in the world will keep the United States at the forefront of global competitiveness . We have some huge advantages : the top universities in the world , the top scientific researchers , and -- right alongside these -- our identity as a nation of immigrants and descendants of immigrants . At FWD.us , a nonprofit advocacy group , we are entrepreneurs , and we believe that one of the main reasons America is the leading entrepreneurial nation is that we are a nation of immigrants . Leaving behind your home country and everything you know to create a better life for your family is the essence of the risk-taking that characterizes the entrepreneurial ethos . I think back to my ancestors in the shtetls of Eastern Europe in the 19th century . They had probably never been more than two miles from their village , and got on a steamship to go to a country they had never even seen in a picture , knowing they would never return home . That is truly putting it all on the line to make a better life . It is not random , who chooses to emigrate , and the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of these immigrants have shaped the character of our country . Entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley do not just identify with the experience of computer programmers coming to America to work at tech companies , but with everyone who comes here to make a better life . It 's why we are working for comprehensive immigration reform . There are talented young people in America who were brought here by their parents who now can not go to college or work because they are undocumented . These DREAMers are just waiting to contribute , and their parents , with the right accountability measures , should be able to join them by coming out of the shadows and contributing fully to their communities . Opinion : On immigration , GOP offers fear , not ideas . In addition , we know that the best and the brightest come here to study , start companies and create jobs that grow our economy ; millions more are caught in limbo navigating a complex and broken system that is totally outdated for a modern economy and modern American families . We need to pass comprehensive immigration reform to unlock those contributions and by doing so change millions of lives . FWD.us has been visiting college graduations , talking with some of the smart young international graduates who have the potential to expand American businesses and create new innovations here . Many are returning home despite job offers in the United States , for one reason -- they ca n't get visas . A loss for them and a loss for us -- collateral damage of an outdated immigration policy . Over our history , the United States has often been good at welcoming immigrants . In fact , it 's part of what defines America . Reagan said it well , recounting the sentiments in a letter he received from a man before he left office : `` You can go live in France , but you can not become a Frenchman . You can go to live in Germany or Italy , but you ca n't become a German , an Italian . He went through Turkey , Greece , Japan and other countries . But he said anyone , from any corner of the world , can come to live in the United States and become an American . '' Comprehensive immigration reform is a big deal , but it is not a done deal . The House comes next . We are at a hinge moment for America . Do n't hold back -- the time is here to be heard as the fight continues to pass meaningful comprehensive immigration reform . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Joe Green .
Joe Green : Immigration reform heads for tough fight in House after passing in Senate . The bill would give legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants who came here as children and provide a path to citizenship for the rest. Green says immigrants are group of risk-takers who define America 's entrepreneurial ethos . Green : Immigrants needed to feed nation 's fast-growing knowledge economy .