A new study says the number of U.S. high-technology companies founded by immigrants is on the verge of decline, putting a key economic growth engine at risk.

The study by the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation says immigrant entrepreneurs started one-quarter of all U.S. high-tech firms between 1995 and 2005. That number fell to 24 percent between 2006 and this year.

The study blames the trend on what it calls an unbecoming immigration system and environment.

It says the United States needs to embrace immigrant entrepreneurs to keep job creators in the country and maintain a dynamic economy.

The Kauffman Foundation calls it imperative that the United States create a startup visa for foreign entrepreneurs and expand the number of green cards for skilled workers.

The study says between 2006 and 2012, Indian immigrants founded more than 33 percent of all new technology and engineering firms. They were followed by China, Britain, Canada, and Germany.