Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) tore into Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE over his announcement that the Trump administration would stop granting asylum to victims of gang violence and domestic abuse.

Blumenthal called the move “shameful,” and issued a stern denouncement to Sessions, saying that refugees’ “blood is on [his] hands.”

“Once again, an administration that claims to be tough on crime is actually just tough on crime victims,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “Today’s shameful decision by the Attorney General slams the door in the face of women fleeing brutal violence, LGBT refugees fleeing persecution, and thousands of others seeking safety in the United States.”

“America is better than this, but apparently Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not,” he added. “Today’s decision will send untold numbers of refugees to their deaths. Attorney General Sessions: their blood is on your hands.”

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Sessions announced the policy change on Monday, saying that the asylum system was being “abused to the detriment of the rule of law."

“The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes — such as domestic violence or gang violence — or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum claim,” he wrote in his decision.

The move has already drawn major criticism from immigration activists.

Sessions has long criticized the asylum system, accusing U.S. immigration attorneys of “exploiting” the law and taking advantage of the country’s “generosity.”

He said in a speech to immigration judges Monday that migrants were claiming credible fear to remain in the U.S. without having a real case. He argued that the decision would alleviate pressure and “provide more clarity” for immigration courts.