Law enforcement officers forcibly removed California Sen. Alex Padilla from a briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday.
Video of the incident shows Padilla interrupting Noem’s press conference, identifying himself, and saying he had questions for the secretary. A group of at least five people then moved to push Padilla out of the room. He was removed before he could finish his comments.
Padilla’s office later released a statement saying the senator was in Los Angeles “exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight.”
"I was there peacefully," Sen. Padilla said on Thursday. "At one point I had a question. And so I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was forced to the ground. And I was handcuffed. I was not arrested. I was not detained."
"I will say this. If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security response to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmers, to cooks, to day laborers throughout Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country," Sen. Padilla said. "We will hold this administration accountable. And we'll have more to say. We'll have more to say in the coming days."
The Department of Homeland Security, in its own statement, said Padilla was being disrespectful by interrupting the press conference.
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“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” DHS said in a statement. “U.S. Secret Service thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately.”
The agency added that Noem met with Padilla for about 15 minutes after her press conference. Noem stated that she exchanged numbers with Padilla, so they can stay in contact.
The incident drew swift condemnation from lawmakers, who spoke out near the U.S. Capitol.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has clashed with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement policies, also weighed in.
“This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful,” Newsom said in a statement. “Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”
