By Daniel Indiviglio

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Congress is edging toward letting illegal immigrants stay, while promising greater vigilance. High-tech companies will like measures to retain more foreign-born graduates, while small firms may struggle with new red tape. Fixes are needed, but economically these are a mixed bag.

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CONTEXT NEWS

- Eight U.S. senators from both parties on Jan. 28 released a framework for immigration reform. In a speech in Las Vegas on Jan. 29, President Barack Obama focused on the need to fix the system to provide better opportunities for the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants.

- The senators' plan has four basic pillars. The first would create a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants living in the United States, balanced with making borders more secure and surveillance more robust. The second seeks to retain talented would-be immigrants who attend American universities. The third would create a system for companies to verify employees' citizenship status, and the fourth seeks to tie future worker admittance rates to economic need.

- Reuters:

Senators unveil immigration reform as Hispanic influence grows

Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges

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(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)

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(Editing by Jeffrey Goldfarb and Martin Langfield) Keywords: BREAKINGVIEWS USA/IMMIGRATION

(daniel.indiviglio@thomsonreuters.com)(Reuters messaging daniel.indiviglio.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

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