Federal law enforcement agents forcibly removed Sen. Alex Padilla from a June 12 press conference, forced him to the ground and handcuffed the California Democrat after he interrupted an event for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid mass protests over the administration’s immigration crackdown.
“I am Senator Alex Padilla, I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla said as he was hauled from the room at a federal building in Los Angels where Noem was speaking.
Noem said during the press conference that she doesn’t know the two-term Padilla and that he hadn’t requested a meeting with her.
“So when I leave here I’ll have a conversation with him and visit and find out really what his concerns were,” the Trump Cabinet secretary said. “I think everybody in America would agree that wasn’t appropriate.”
Noem’s agency oversees Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which has been carrying out raids in the city. Protesters have flooded downtown Los Angeles for five days, some of which have devolved into violence as protesters burn cars and loot buildings.
“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country,” Noem said as Padilla started asking: “Madam Secretary I want to know why you insist on –” before he was grabbed by security guards.
Padilla was pushed to the ground and handcuffed after being hauled out of the room. His office issued a statement shortly after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The senior senator from California was in Los Angeles to “perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” his office said in a statement. “He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”
Democrats condemned Padilla’s treatment.
“If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, called the events in Los Angeles “un-American” and urged an investigation.
“I just saw something that sickened my stomach, the manhandling of a United States Senator,” he said. “We need immediate answers to what the hell went on.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Padilla handcuffed and removed from Noem’s LA press conference
