In the last seven years, I have devoted considerable energy to support the creation of open societies in the former Soviet bloc. In those countries, the meaning of open society was easy to explain: It was the opposite of Communism. Open society was the United States, a country characterized by a reliance on the rule of law, a democratically elected government, a diverse culture and respect for people who are different. The truth, of course, was always more complicated. Yet the image and the ideal were inspiring, and they remain so to this day.

Legal immigrants—refugees fleeing religious and political persecution, family members wanting to be reunited with loved ones, young entrepreneurs with talent and drive—have long come to America seeking a fair chance to contribute and, in the process, have enriched our culture and strengthened the nation.

Yesterday, Congress began taking away much of that fair chance when the new welfare law went into effect. It will bar most legal immigrants, including permanent residents and refugees granted asylum, from receiving food stamps and Supplemental Security Income, which benefits the elderly and the disabled. Legal immigrants will also be denied welfare and Medicaid benefits in their first five years in the country.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 500,000 immigrants are likely to lose Supplemental Security benefits; about 900,000 are likely to lose food stamps. Legal immigrants represent only about 5 percent of those on public aid, yet they are absorbing more than 40 percent of the cuts in welfare.

Immigrants have always pulled their weight. Except for the right to vote, legal immigrants have enjoyed the same rights and shared the same responsibilities as citizens. They serve in the military. They contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits. Denying them the safety net they help pay for is neither necessary nor fair, and it breaks with a long and proud tradition of treating legal immigrants as future citizens who are assets, rather than as non-citizen aliens who are a burden.

More than half of the legal immigrants who will lose their benefits have lived in the country for more than five years and are likely eligible for naturalization. More than one million residents are expected to apply for citizenship this year. Yet in taking benefits away from struggling immigrants we are adding yet another obstacle to those they already face in applying for citizenship, including learning English, studying for the test and paying processing fees.

There is no question that the welfare system needs to be reformed so that it moves people from dependency to work. But to do so we must spend more money, not less, in the short term, because creating work requires more public investment and job training—for citizens and legal immigrants. Depriving immigrants creates false savings at the cost of perpetrating an injustice.

As an immigrant and naturalized United States citizen, I have a deep sympathy for all those who come to America in search of a better life. I have prospered, but I know that we all need a helping hand at some time in our lives. After World War II, I left Hungary and stayed in England for several years, working as a railroad porter. I broke my leg and was taken care of, free of charge, by the National Health Service. I depended on government assistance.

If immigrants to America suffer similar misfortunes, if they cannot work or find a decent- paying job and their families are starving, where will they turn for help? In the answer lies our identity as a people and as a nation.