(NewsNation) — A law intended to broaden the ability for ICE to detain people in the country illegally is now being used by judges to order the release of immigrants with no criminal record.

The Laken Riley Act was passed last year in a push led by Republicans and requires ICE to detain noncitizens who are charged, convicted or simply arrested for certain crimes.

The legislation was sponsored after the death of Georgia college student Laken Riley, who was murdered as she went on a morning run. Her killer was a Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally.

Advocates of the law said it would protect Americans from crimes committed by people who are in the U.S. without authorization, while critics feared it would take rights away from noncitizens.

Now, judges are using the law to orde

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