As federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved into tri-state area airports on Monday to help with long lines at checkpoints, Connecticut lawmakers advanced sweeping legislation to limit agents’ activities.

But critics believe the restrictions will make ICE arrests even more dangerous, while others think the rules are unenforceable.

After federal immigration agents shot and killed two protesters in Minneapolis, some Connecticut lawmakers are vowing to keep it from happening here.

“It’s still really hard to watch people get murdered on your phone,” said Democratic Attorney General William Tong. “That’s what it's gotten to, right?”

On Monday, lawmakers advanced three different bills to restrict where – and how – ICE can operate in Connecticut.

Agents would be banned from “protected spaces” like playgrounds and churches and prohibited from wearing masks.

Tong and the state inspector general, who investigates deadly force cases involving law enforcement, could probe federal agents’ actions. And in most cases, agents would have no immunity from prosecution in state courts. The policy would not apply to U.S. marshals and federal prison guards.

“If you’re a federal agent or a state official, you don't have the right without justification – you don’t have the right to hurt somebody or kill somebody,” Tong said at a Monday morning news conference. “And Connecticut law will be enforced against you if you do.”

Data from license plate readers would also be off-limits to immigration authorities.

“People should not be afraid of their government,” said Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk).

Republicans argued that the proposed rules could backfire and make ICE arrests much more dangerous.

“The federal authorities are going to pick them up. They’re going to pick them up somewhere. Where?” asked state Rep. Doug Dubitsky (R-Chaplin). “The feds could just send one or two people to safely go pick them up – put them into federal custody, send them home. That would be the smart way to do it.”

Others said federal agents can simply ignore state law due to the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

“I’m wondering how the state – how the state can pass a law like this and tell a federal law enforcement officer they can’t go to a parking lot or parking garage,” said state Rep. Callahan (R-New Fairfield).

But Democrats said that since Connecticut banned arrests around state courthouses, arrests have dropped dramatically. The new law came after federal agents arrested two men inside the Stamford courthouse parking garage in October.

“Maybe this is a little weird today, but I actually want to thank ICE for abiding by that policy and allowing us to conduct operations within our courthouse without interference with ICE,” said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport), co-chair of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, which advanced the three bills on Monday.

GOP leaders called Democrats hypocrites.

“When are we going to start ‘protecting’ our own citizens? Shielding criminal illegal aliens from federal law is their priority and their version of ‘protecting democracy,” said Connecticut House Republican Leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford). “The whole thing today was political theater, plain and simple.”

The bills now head to the full Connecticut House and Senate, where they will likely see further changes.