2013 Immigration Reform: ‘11 Million Is A Lot Of People Treated Unfairly,’ Says Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), on Wednesday said a government in which there is widespread agreement moves quickly, but that polarization is no excuse for inaction on issues where there is agreement.

During a live interview with The Atlantic, Zuckerberg said his visit to the Capitol is “largely for immigration.”

“Our government is set up to move quickly when there is widespread agreement,” he said. “Right now the country is divided ... and therefore, few things should get done -- except for things that people really agree on.”

The CEO will be meeting with several House and Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle over the next few days, but he said he is not in town to rewrite laws. Rather, Zuckerberg is there to support those lawmakers who realize something needs to be done and are trying to move forward to “fundamental issues like immigration reform,” he said.

Admitting that the tech industry has engineer roles that companies are trying to fill, Zuckerberg said the bigger issue at hand is what to do with the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. Zuckerberg supports comprehensive immigration reform. The Senate has already passed a comprehensive measure that includes a path to citizenship and increases the number of visas for high-skilled workers.

“Eleven million people is a lot of people who are being treated unfairly right now,” Zuckerberg said.

As for whether he is a Democrat or a Republican, the 29-year-old CEO said, “I’m pro-knowledge economy” and explained that in such an economy, immigration is a big issue because “in order to be productive you want to get the best people into the country.”