President Biden’s proposed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule, which would move up “statutory bars to asylum” in the evaluation process, has drawn criticism from Republicans who claim it is an election-year move to help him in a close match with former President Trump. While the DHS claims the rule would not change any eligibility standards but only move the assessment of security threats up in the process, Republicans argue that Biden has been “opening the border” and that the move is too little, too late. Some Democrats have also expressed concerns about the rule, with one advocate for the rights of asylum-seekers saying it risks returning legitimate asylum seekers to danger.