Florida will "never become California," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, flanked by local and state law enforcement officials, declared in a June 12 press conference in Titusville.

Amid nationwide immigration protests, and speaking from a podium adorned with a sign declaring the Sunshine State "The Anti-Riot State," Uthmeier said Florida will be taking extra steps to protect immigration enforcement officers. He also announced the appointment of Agent Anthony Coker as Florida's first state-embedded representative for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Violence committed during enforcement actions, such as that capturing national attention in California and other locations, will not be tolerated in the Sunshine State, Uthmeier said.

"If you throw things, light things on fire, wreak havoc and destruction in Florida, you will do time," he said. "We are ready to ensure that it is nipped in the bud right away."

Uthmeier spoke from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Titusville substation on Columbia Boulevard, where he was joined by Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement; Sheriff Wayne Ivey; Sen. Debbie Mayfield; and State Attorney William Scheiner, as well as Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Brevard County deputies.

The Trump administration's increase in immigration enforcement has prompted a series of protests across the country with notable flareups between protesters and authorities turning destructive in places including Los Angeles and Texas.

The bulk of the conference centered on anti-rioting measures, with Sheriff Ivey saying that "peaceful protests are part of our democracy, but the key word in that is peaceful."

Ivey warned that anyone who resists lawful orders or blocks roadways in the course of protesting will go to jail, but that there would be further consequences for others.

"If you hit one of us, you're going to the hospital and jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs that we have here," he said."If you throw bricks or firebombs or point a gun at our officers, we will notify your family where to collect your remains because we will kill you, graveyard dead."

Uthmeier: 'We follow rule of law'

Other topics included the right of due process for undocumented immigrants taken into custody.

When people "flooded across the border on the way in during the Biden open border, policies and questions weren't asked," Uthmeier said.

“There was no conversation. They were just handed a piece of paper to show up at some certain time, months or even years down the road, and nobody was talking about process. Now, suddenly, when we're talking about getting people out of the country that are here illegally, everybody's talking about process. Well, we follow rule of law. Everybody will get due process."

Those detained, don't, however, "necessarily need to be free roaming around the process," Uthmeier said.

“We'll keep them locked up while they go through it, but they will be detained. We will follow every bit of the law while we're going through that process.”

Where those people would be relocated to, and housed, "would be a question, largely for the federal government as they take over custody," Uthmeier said.

Keefe said the state will add riot response tactics to its "blueprint" for mass deportation so other states may follow suit.

"There's no reason other states shouldn't have the backs of the federal law enforcement officers and their families while they're in California or in any of the other states," said Keefe, the former top federal prosecutor for north Florida.

'We have a law ... you cannot riot'

The press conference came two days before "No Kings" protests planned for June 14, which coincides with Flag Day, President Donald Trump's 79th birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary celebration and military parade taking place in Washington, D.C.

Florida passed an "anti-riot" bill in 2021 that says peaceful protesters can face criminal charges if their actions become violent. On June 9, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has "drawn (the) line very clearly" between protesting and rioting.

Uthmeier said "we want to put the public on notice in Florida and remind everybody, we have a law that says you cannot riot."

"We have enhanced penalties if you engage in this behavior in Florida, you will do time," Uthmeier said. "So yes, we want to put the public on notice, don't do it. And I think it's important for people at home to realize, you know what's going on in California.”

Those protesting aren’t just “Joe Schmoe sitting at home on the couch saying, ‘I don't like what's going on. I want to go out and express my view’ … and we respect peaceful protest," he said.

The First Amendment is important, he said, "but what's really happening is you have large, sophisticated, deep-pocketed, paid organizations" that are "funding violence and destruction."

“That is what the left wants, and shame on Democrat officials that are not condemning this across the country," Uthmeier said.

"This is putting families and their safety in jeopardy. So, thanks be to God we've got a wonderful governor and a great president that want to protect families and want to enforce rule of law.”

Ana Goñi-Lessan , state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY network, contributed to this report.

Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or [email protected]. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez.