State lawmakers are pushing back on the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement.

On a mostly party-line vote Wednesday, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to expand the TRUST Act, which limits when police can work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Despite earlier reservations, Gov. Ned Lamont now supports the bill after lawmakers watered-down the legislation.

Immigration arrests are already way up – and the Trump administration said those efforts will accelerate under the new federal budget.

“We need to arrest three times the amount of people arresting right now and more money will allow us to do that,” said White House border czar Tom Homan.

But lawsuits accuse federal authorities of denying immigrants due process – including Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to a violent prison in El Salvador due to an administrative error. The administration admitted another deportation mistake involving a Guatemalan man in a court filing late Friday.

In Connecticut, ICE agents reportedly arrested a kidnapping suspect from Stamford outside the Middletown courthouse on April 30.

In another case, a woman told News 12 Connecticut that the Department of Motor Vehicles called federal agents on her husband.

“They told him his green card was rejected and that they had to send the information to ICE, and that he could not get a new license until ICE accepted his renewal,” Arlene Angel said through a translator.

After a five-hour debate, the Connecticut House voted to expand the TRUST Act, which generally bans police from sharing information with ICE unless suspects are convicted felons or unless agents have a warrant signed by a judge.

The new version adds prosecutors and the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

“To close, I would say, certain loopholes with the definition of what constitutes ‘law enforcement,’” said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport). “The intent and goal of the TRUST Act was to make sure that our local law enforcement was focused on prosecuting crimes and protecting the citizens of Connecticut – for offenses that occurred in the state of Connecticut."

Immigration authorities are already notified when a suspect is arrested because their fingerprints are entered into a national FBI database.

But ICE has complained that Connecticut police agencies release suspects before agents can pick them up, forcing them to arrest people on the street.

The expanded TRUST Act would let those who are wrongly detained or questioned go to court and get an injunction.

Republicans said it could lead to a flood of lawsuits.

“If it’s not enough that our municipalities and our public safety cannot communicate with ICE, for them to their job, they’re now going to allow these same individuals to sue our towns and cities,” said House GOP leader Vin Candelora (R-North Branford). “Bottom line is, our cities and towns are going to be in court now, defending these illegal activities at the very same time these individuals could get attorney’s fees.”

Critics said that expanding the TRUST Act will make Connecticut a target for losing federal law enforcement funding.

“The only purpose that the TRUST Act serves is to hide criminals from law enforcement,” said state Rep. Doug Dubitsky (R-Chaplin).

Lamont initially shared those concerns. But he now supports the bill after lawmakers stripped out more controversial sections, including expanding TRUST Act restrictions to all local and state employees.

The proposal also lets police contact ICE for more crimes, including Class C felonies like sexual assault and gun crimes.

“The Governor was proud to sign legislation in 2019 that updated the Trust Act and strengthened the relationship between local law enforcement and their communities, without burdening them with the responsibilities of the federal government,” spokesperson Rob Blanchard said. “His priority has always been making sure people feel safe in our schools, churches, and elsewhere and that regardless of status, criminals are kept off our streets. The changes under discussion today, which the Governor would support, help in that mission.”

The compromise is a disappointment for immigrant advocates. They called for a outright ban on immigration arrests around courthouses and police sharing surveillance footage with ICE.

“We want them out of our courthouses. We want them out of our schools,” said Kica Matos, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “We want them out of our hospitals. We want them out of the state.”

In February, state lawmakers passed a new law restricting ICE visits to schools. Agents now need a judicial warrant to come inside.

The expanded TRUST Act now heads to the state Senate.