Tech giants pour millions into lobbying efforts

The giants of the tech industry are buttressing their campaign for immigration reform with a lobbying blitz inside the Beltway.

Facebook spent just over $1 million on lobbying during the second quarter of 2013, a 10 percent rise over the same period in 2012, public records show. Microsoft, another outspoken advocate for overhauling the immigration system, spent just short of $3 million on lobbying activities, up from the $2.5 million the company spent during the first three months of the year. And Google, an emerging powerhouse in corporate advocacy, spent a hefty $3.3 million on lobbying efforts. Silicon Valley is putting its collective weight behind the push for immigration reform in hopes of securing passage of legislation that would help companies hire more highly skilled foreign workers who earn degrees in the United States. Tech companies have spent millions on ad campaigns and events intended to build pressure on lawmakers to act, and top executives are putting their personal wealth into FWD.us, a lobbying group launched in part by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that has made immigration reform priority No. 1.