New York City is setting a new precedent by proposing a law to deny U.S. immigration authorities' requests to detain immigrants for deportation.

The city officials said unless there is a warrant issued by a federal judge, or the immigrant has been convicted of a violent or serious crime in the past five years, they intend to create a more welcoming atmosphere, according to Al-Jazeera America.

"By further limiting (Immigration and Customs Enforcement's) role in the detention and deportation of immigrant New Yorkers, we set the national standard for the treatment of our immigrant population," Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said in a statement. "Families will no longer be needlessly torn apart by ICE's dragnet enforcement efforts."

Critics have pointed out that the proposal protects alleged criminals since anyone facing serious criminal charges will not be automatically turned over to ICE, according to the New York Post.

But ICE already detains immigrants arrested on criminal charges, in order to "ensure that dangerous criminals are not released from prisons or jails and into our communities," ICE said Thursday.

The bill will be introduced next week at a city council meeting, and already has the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The mayor has been vocal about his support of undocumented immigrants, including offering a new municipal ID card set to debut in January.

The new cards will be available to immigrants, as well as currently undocumented residents -- a common problem in an area where many take public transport, avoiding the need for a driver's license.

Between October 2012 and September 2013, the city's Department of Correction released more than 3,000 people to federal immigration agents but denied 1,163 requests, Al-Jazeera reported. Comparatively, the Department of Homeland Security released official deportation figures for 2013, which show more than 2 million immigrants have been deported.