Attempting to voice his disapproval of immigration sweeps that have sparked demonstrations in California and nationwide, Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed by police from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Footage shows a Secret Service member assigned to Noem’s protection forcing Padilla out of the room after he attempted to disrupt the DHS secretary’s event by seizing his jacket. Padilla represents California.
“My name is Sen. Alex Padilla. “I need to speak with the secretary,” he yelled out in a shaky voice.
As he and the police get into a fight outside the room, he yells out, “Hands off!” Several cops are shown standing over him as he is brought to his knees, shoved to the floor, and handcuffed in a corridor.
Democrats were quick to condemn the horrific sight of a U.S. senator being violently removed from a Cabinet secretary’s press briefing. As news of the altercation spread across Congress, shocked Democrats called for an immediate inquiry and painted the incident as just the latest in a series of growing dangers to democracy posed by the Trump administration.
The sight “sickened my stomach,” according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In a statement made from the Senate floor, the senator from New York emphasized the urgent need for answers on what transpired. This is so un-American; it’s vile and repulsive.
The Secret Service “thought he was an attacker,” and the Department of Homeland Security declared that Padilla “chose disrespectful political theater.” The assertion incorrectly said that Padilla failed to identify himself; in fact, he did so while being forcibly removed from the room.
According to the statement, “officers acted appropriately” after Padilla “repeatedly was told to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands.”
After that, Padilla came out and said he was taken away while questioning the Trump administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions.” He went to the meeting to get additional information because he and his coworkers had gotten very few answers to their inquiries over the last few weeks.
When a senator asks this administration a question, this is the response they get… What they are doing to farmworkers, cooks, and day laborers in the Los Angeles neighborhood, California, and the nation as a whole is beyond my comprehension, he added.
Noem later spoke with Padilla after the altercation and described his approach as “something that I don’t think was appropriate at all.” She added that they had a “great” talk afterwards.
Padilla was accused of engaging in grandstanding by the White House.
The White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, stated that Padilla was seeking attention rather than answers. It’s interesting to note that Democrats seem to be more upset over Padilla than the recent violent riots and attacks on law police in Los Angeles.
The disturbance in Los Angeles occurred shortly after Democratic U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges concerning alleged assaults and interferences with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey. The indictment came after the mayor of Newark was arrested for attempting to participate in a congressional oversight visit to the facility. The allegations have been seen by Democrats as an attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate.
Trump and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom have been increasingly tense over the federal military engagement in California, and this comes after days of building hostility between the two. “Democracy is under assault before our eyes,” the governor said in a speech earlier this week.
Padilla has been an outspoken opponent of Trump’s mass deportation program, despite being the son of Mexican immigrants. “Trump isn’t targeting criminals in his mass deportation agenda, he is terrorizing communities, breaking apart families and putting American citizens in harm’s way,” he said on social media following the latest federal immigration raids in Los Angeles.
After Kamala Harris was elected vice president in 2020, Newsom chose Padilla to replace her Senate seat. Padilla became the first Latino senator from the state in 2021. Padilla was the top elections official in the state back then.
Padilla “was representing the millions of Californians who are demanding answers to this administration’s actions in Southern California,” Harris stated in a Thursday social media post. “A shameful and stunning abuse of power” was what she had to say about his forcible deportation.
There was an immediate convocation of Democratic senators in the chamber, who condemned the abuse of their colleague, a beloved and esteemed senator, and demanded that the American people comprehend the gravity of the situation.
According to Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Trump is turning the United States into what she calls a “fascist state.”
“Will there be a single Republican senator who defends our democratic system?” Then Warren begged.
Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who is speaker of the house, said that Padilla’s actions “rise to the level of a censure” and accused her of “charging” Noem.
Outside the House chamber, Trump ally Johnson told reporters, “My view is it was wildly inappropriate,” as Democrats screamed over him, “That’s a lie!”
“A sitting member of Congress should not act like that,” Johnson stated, raising his voice over the queries asked by the media. “A lawmaker should not be expected to do this. Understatement of the century.
Republican leader in the Senate John Thune has stated his want to get all of the information before making a decision.
Rep. Thune (R-S.D.) stated, “Obviously we will have a response” on his way to his Capitol office. However, I am interested in learning the truth and discovering what transpired.
The reaction from other Republicans was more subdued; some even claimed they hadn’t seen the video.
Even though he claimed ignorance of the events, Wyoming’s No. 2 Republican, Senator John Barrasso, acknowledged that Padilla ought to have been in Washington for business.
At a time when Congress is seeing more and more instances of attempts to undermine its power, this shocking event occurs. The Trump administration is using its executive powers in ways that have not been tested, despite being a coequal branch of the US government.
Legislators have the duty to oversee the executive branch, its departments, and its activities as part of their responsibilities in the legislature.
As part of their oversight responsibilities, many senators and congressmen have been investigating how the Trump administration is treating detained immigrants and others.
The actions taken against Padilla “were un-American” and those responsible should be punished, according to House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke from the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
“Until the Trump administration changes its behavior and there is accountability, this is not going to end,” he stated.
