Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke took a page from their personal histories in making an economic argument for why immigration reform should be the next domestic agenda item for President Barack Obama's administration.

The pursuit of a better life, both said, gives immigrants an extra motivating factor to take risks and reach further than their circumstances for a dream.

Immigrants "are generating businesses, they are employing people, and I'm happy to say, they are paying their taxes," Solis said. "There is great potential for our country in so many different ways."

Speaking at an event Wednesday at the Washington think tank Center for American Progress, Solis and Locke shared their stories as the children of Hispanic and Asian immigrants, respectively, and offered their opinions on the best way to address national immigration issues.

The event came in the same week a bill, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, was unveiled in the House of Representatives, the latest push for reform drafted by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and co-sponsored by several Democratic legislators.

The bill includes provisions for increased border security, enforcement of labor laws, reforming detention procedures, and providing a path for undocumented workers to earn their legalization.

Referring to the recession as "an appropriate time" to introduce a debate, Solis said the nation's economic recovery is dependent on leveling the job market and bringing immigrants out of informal economies.

Solis, the first Latina state senator in California, said her initial lessons in social justice came from her union organizer father who collectively bargained for his fellow immigrant workers, many of whom spoke limited English.