Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday and detained after trying to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla said to Noem, which prompted several men to physically push him out of the news conference.
Padilla’s office shared a video of the incident with NBC News. The video shows Padilla being taken into a hallway outside and pushed face forward onto the ground as officers with FBI-identifying vests told the senator to put his hands behind his back. The officers then handcuffed him.
DHS and Padilla’s Senate office did not immediately return requests for comment.
Noem was in L.A. to hold a press conference to address the ongoing demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the region.
Senate Minority Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reacted to the video of Padilla on X, on the Senate floor and on X, “I just saw something that sickened my stomach. The manhandling of a United States Senator, we need immediate answers to what the hell went on,” he said on the floor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on X that Padilla “is one of the most decent people I know.” “This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now,” he added.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which Padilla is a member, also reacted to the situation on X, saying that it was “unacceptable.”
“We demand a full investigation and consequences for every official involved in this assault against a sitting US senator,” the group said.
Democrats have lashed out against Trump and his administration for deploying National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to L.A. to respond to the protests.
