I’m an entrepreneur at heart, and as a business owner and job creator, I’ve seen firsthand how our broken immigration system hobbles our ability to grow the U.S. economy, create good American jobs and compete in an increasingly techcentric world.

Many immigrants have a story like mine. I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic in a tough environment. I came to the United States nine years ago, and took any job I could get – cleaning bathrooms, driving taxis, serving for catering companies, cleaning and doing laundry for gyms, and manning the door at restaurants.

I landed a marketing job for a consumer technology company in 2013. I moved up the ladder to become director of marketing at a real estate company. They only needed me during a transition period, however, and I was laid off just as the year-end holidays were approaching.

My daughter was born the same week. I was happy, but being unemployed also made me feel depressed. I felt lost and became overweight, so I decided to start going to the gym to help myself get back on track. That’s when BenjiLock was born – a fingerprint-enabled lock for gym lockers that can be used just about anywhere.

BenjiLock is my startup. It turned me from a depressed, unemployed father to a driven, 24-7 machine. I completely self-funded the project, hiring an art director and an engineer on a project basis. Together, we created a padlock with fingerprint technology.

I had the chance earlier this year to showcase the product to the world for the first time at CES 2017. I recruited the grassroots way, inviting friends and family to come to Las Vegas and help me make it happen. I received a CES 2017 Innovation Award.

There is plenty more to do to secure my company’s future. Keep in mind, though, that the U.S. is home to 2.9 million foreign-born entrepreneurs such as me. Our companies collectively generate more than $65 billion in revenue. Immigrants represent only about 13 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for more than 20 percent of entrepreneurs here, according to various studies.

Our country cannot achieve its full economic potential without embracing the world’s best and brightest – entrepreneurs from around the globe who want to innovate, learn and grow their businesses here in the United States.

America cannot be great unless we reject fear and embrace the entrepreneurship and innovation that immigrants can bring. They will end up growing their businesses – and creating good jobs – somewhere else if we close our doors to such bright minds.

The Trump administration and Congress must work together to support immigration reform that encourages foreign-born entrepreneurs and U.S.-educated immigrants to remain in the United States to build businesses and create domestic jobs. We can keep our nation safe and continue to strengthen our ability to compete in a global economy. 

For BenjiLock – and for me personally – it has been a long and rewarding path to success. Many times people put me down and told me to quit, but I always found a way to stand up again and continue. BenjiLock is my eureka moment.

My hope for the Trump administration is that it embraces innovation and empowers foreign-born entrepreneurs to pursue their eureka moments.

Each time I tell my story, I am amazed and grateful – and humbled, knowing I’m not alone. Skilled and innovative immigrants are critical to our nation’s economic vitality.

It’s damaging to our national interests – and our future generations – to keep out entrepreneurs who want to grow our economy and create jobs.

Roberto Cabral is an L.A.-based entrepreneur.