The Obama administration has relaxed the rules that prevent asylum-seekers, refugees and others who provided "limited material support" to terrorists or terrorist groups from migrating to or extending their stay in the United States.

The change is one of President Obama's first actions on immigration since he pledged to use his executive power more often during his State of the Union address in January.

The rule is part of an immigration law known as "terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds" that was passed after the Sept. 11 attacks. It was applied with minimal exceptions to stop anyone trying to enter the U.S. who was considered to have given support to terrorists or terrorist groups, reports AllVoices.com.  It also affects people already in the U.S. who want to change their immigration status.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the rule change, which was announced last week, gives the government more discretion, but won't open the country to terrorists or their sympathizers. Instead, the change will allow entry for people who have had incidental ties with terror groups but are not considered a threat to the U.S.

For example, DHS officials say the rule change was meant to be applied to people like a restaurant owner who served food to members of a group the U.S. considers a terrorist group, reports the Associated Press. Other examples include a farmer who was forced to pay tolls to terrorists to be allow to cross a bridge and a Syrian refugee forced to pay a terrorist group to secure safe passage out his country.

According to the DHS, the change allows immigration officials to apply smarter criteria on a case-by-case basis and to assess whether the support was limited or part of "routine commercial transactions or routine social transactions." The DHS also said that people who want to enter the U.S. will be subjected to rigorous checks to ensure that they do not pose a threat to the country's security.

Still, Republicans have criticized the move and blasted President Obama for opening up the country to infiltration by terrorists. Critics also say the changes raise serious security concerns, especially since a recent report found that there are significant incidents of asylum fraud.

"In light of these and other facts (asylum fraud), it is thus deeply alarming that the Obama administration would move unilaterally to relax admissions standards for asylum seekers and potentially numerous other applicants for admission who have possible connections to insurgent or terrorist groups. We need to tighten security standards for asylum, not relax them even further," said Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions in a statement Thursday.

He added, "What is the point of Congress passing a law if the administration abuses its 'discretion' to say that law simply no longer applies?"

However, supporters like Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, welcomed the change.

"The existing interpretation was so broad as to be unworkable. It resulted in deserving refugees and asylees being barred from the United States for actions so tangential and minimal that no rational person would consider them supporters of terrorist activities," he said in a statement.