LEWISTON — Don’t think of immigration as a political issue, panelists at a Bates College round-table discussion said Thursday. Think of it as business.

“National security is absolutely important,” said Jeremy Robbins, adviser to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and manager of the Partnership for a New American Economy. “Our borders are absolutely important. But so is the economy, and immigration is fundamental to us staying competitive.”

Robbins was one of five featured speakers at the panel discussion, “Staying Competitive in a Global Age: The Role of the Immigration Community in Maine’s Job Creation,” hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for a New American Economy and the city of Lewiston on Thursday.

Robbins said it’s time to create immigration laws that help build the economy. China and other countries are doing it, luring potential investors and job creators away from the U.S.

“And we are turning these people away,” he said. “We need to convince Congress that this is something business cares about, that the people you trust on the economy are telling you it’s important.”

Panelists mapped the impact immigrants have on the state and national economies, taking jobs native residents don’t want, filling positions they’re not qualified to fill and bringing a sense of enthusiasm to their work in America.

“Many immigrants will come to us from other countries where they have degrees,” said Cindy Talbot, vice president of human resources for Barber Foods in Portland.

“They were professional engineers, doctors, lawyers and managers of companies who might have owned their own business,” Talbot said. “They come to us with huge skills, but only because of a lack of language, perhaps, they can’t get hired.”

Talbot said her company offers English-language classes and finds that small investment pays off quickly.

“They become supervisors in our plant and planners for others,” she said. “They own homes, purchase cars and become a member of our community. They thrive and we thrive because of them.”

Michael Hyde, vice president for advancement and external relations for Bar Harbor-based Jackson Laboratory, said his company relies on highly educated labor, and much of it comes from abroad.

“We think there are some big benefits to the community, primarily in terms of a more diverse population in our public schools,” Hyde said. “You’ll find people here from 30 or 40 different communities and it enriches the local culture.”

Robbins, of the Partnership for a New American Economy, said many Americans fall into an employment middle ground — too educated for entry-level jobs but not educated enough for top-level jobs.

“What ends up happening, there are not enough workers for our farms,” Robbins said. “And if you don’t get the jobs at the farms, that goes to other industries as well.”

Jobs at ports dry up for want of farm workers, and that affects other industries. Companies end up moving to other countries that either have the work force or the products that the work force creates.

Robbins called for three short-term changes to help the economy: giving green cards to immigrants with advanced degrees, creating an entrepreneur’s visa to lure investors to the U.S. and issuing more temporary visas for low-end and highly skilled jobs.

“If we’re smarter about immigration laws, we could create a lot of jobs,” he said.

staylor@sunjournal.com