BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida attorney general on Thursday announced protections for immigration agents as the state works to “support the Trump administration’s efforts to combat illegal immigration."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier was joined by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and immigration officials for the news conference near Titusville.
[VIDEO BELOW: Florida cracks down on protests]
Uthmeier acknowledged violent protests happening in California and other cities in the U.S. against immigration efforts, saying, “We’re not going to tolerate that in Florida.”
One such conflict escalated on Saturday near a Home Depot just south of Los Angeles, with violent protestors throwing debris like cinder blocks at Border Patrol vehicles as federal agents unleashed tear gas and flash-bang explosives.
The DHS also reported that over 100 undocumented immigrants — some of whom have violent criminal histories — had been arrested in ICE operations in the city, though some of the protestors began attacking agents, slashing their tires, and setting fires.
“This is Florida, the anti-rioting state," Uthmeier said.
The Trump administration said it is willing to send troops to other cities to assist with immigration enforcement and controlling disturbances, as Trump promised during last year’s campaign.
“As always, we are proactive. And if you want to throw things at vehicles, rocks or other objects, you’re going to do time. If you want to light things on fire and put people in harm’s way, you’re going to do time,” he said. “If you want to burn down businesses, if you want to wreak havoc and destruction in Florida, we have enhanced penalties to ensure you will do time."
Ivey and Uthmeier were joined by Florida Highway Patrol Col. Gary Howze, State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Larry Keefe and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement State Liaison Officer Anthony Coker.
Uthmeier announced Coker is the first ICE agent to be based in Florida, and the state is now the first in the U.S. to have an ICE agent stationed locally to help enforce federal immigration laws.
Ivey called peaceful protesting an important part of democracy, but he threatened to kill any local demonstrators who use violence against law enforcement.
“If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of one our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you graveyard-dead,” the sheriff said.
Uthmeier told Titusville community correspondent James Sparvero that violent demonstrations in the nation do not surprise him.
“I’d like to say I’m surprised to see these types of violent disruptions, but unfortunately, they’ve become all too familiar in blue states,” he said. “We stand on principle. We stand on protecting families, and that’s why Florida continues to see people flocking in to take advantage of that safety.”
Watch the full news conference below.