United States Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed during a press conference on immigration in Los Angeles on Thursday, after he attempted to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about federal immigration actions in the state.
The shocking incident occurred during a media briefing held inside a federal building. Padilla, a Democrat from California, identified himself while trying to speak but was forcefully taken to the ground and handcuffed by agents from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service.
“I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he said before being removed. His office later released a video showing plainclothes officers restraining him in a hallway, pushing him face-down to the floor, and ordering him to put his hands behind his back.
Padilla later told reporters he had only just learned of the press briefing and went in peacefully to ask a question. “I was forced to the ground, handcuffed, and no one would tell me why,” he said.
Secretary Noem, speaking later on Fox News, claimed Padilla didn’t identify himself and accused him of “lunging” toward the podium — a claim refuted by the video and Padilla’s account. She added that the event was meant to update the public on immigration raids and enforcement actions in Los Angeles.
Noem had earlier said, “We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and burdensome leadership of its governor and mayor,” referring to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats.
The incident has triggered national backlash. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the video “sickening,” demanding answers. Senator Adam Schiff described the treatment as “disgraceful,” while Governor Newsom slammed the actions as “dictatorial and shameful.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the event “a shameful and stunning abuse of power.”
Meanwhile, Republicans had mixed reactions. While Senator Lindsey Graham criticized Padilla, calling his actions a stunt, Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said the video of the senator being manhandled was “very disturbing.”
A Secret Service official confirmed that Padilla was later identified and cleared of any threat. A brief meeting between him and Noem was arranged after the incident.
Padilla questioned what the aggressive response to a sitting senator suggests about the treatment of ordinary citizens during ongoing immigration raids. “If this is how they treat a senator, imagine what’s happening to farmworkers and cooks in our communities,” he said.
The event follows a series of arrests and confrontations involving Democratic officials and federal immigration agents, raising tensions across the country over immigration enforcement under former President Donald Trump’s renewed policies.
