Police handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and pushed him to the crushed Thursday aft forcibly removing him from a press conference Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding successful Los Angeles.
Padilla had entered the country and interrupted Noem arsenic she was speaking astir her department's plans to proceed deportation efforts successful California, adjacent arsenic the Trump administration's caller migration enforcement operations person stirred a wave of protests there.
The legislator said aft the incidental that helium was not arrested oregon detained. DHS blamed Padilla for the altercation, but said helium and Noem aboriginal held a 15-minute meeting.
Video shared with NBC News' Jacob Soboroff by Padilla's unit shows 2 officers pulling the legislator by the arms aft helium enters the room.
"I americium Senator Alex Padilla," helium says arsenic the officers propulsion him toward an exit and helium pushes backmost with his body, the video shows.
"I person questions for the secretary, due to the fact that the information of the substance is, a fractional a twelve convulsive criminals that you're rotating connected your, connected your," Padilla says earlier being overwhelmed by aggregate officers and shoved retired of the room.
The video shows Padilla is past moved to a hallway wherever 3 officers enactment him connected his knees, propulsion him onto his tummy and bid him to enactment his hands down his backmost earlier handcuffing him.
A dependable is past heard connected the video saying that nary signaling is allowed successful the hallway.
Just earlier Padilla's confrontation with instrumentality enforcement, Noem declared successful the presser, "We are staying present to liberate the metropolis from the socialists and the burdensome enactment that this politician and that this politician person placed connected this country."
The FBI told NBC News successful a connection that Padilla was temporarily detained by the U.S. Secret Service "when helium became disruptive portion ceremonial remarks were being delivered."
"Senator Padilla was not wearing his legislature information pin; however, was subsequently positively identified and released," the FBI said.
Padilla, speaking to reporters aboriginal Thursday, vowed to clasp the Trump medication accountable.
"If this is however the Department of Homeland Security responds to a legislator with a question, you tin lone ideate what they're doing to workplace workers, to cooks, to time laborers passim the Los Angeles assemblage and passim California and passim the country," helium said.
Padilla's bureau said successful a connection that the legislator was successful LA to workout "his work to execute Congressional oversight of the national government's operations successful Los Angeles and crossed California."
"He was successful the national gathering to person a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem's property conference," the connection said. "He tried to inquire the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by national agents, forced to the crushed and handcuffed."
US Senator Alex Padilla, who interrupted the property league held by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, is removed from the venue, successful Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2025.
Aude Guerrucci | Reuters
DHS defended the officers' actions and accused Padilla of engaging successful "disrespectful governmental theatre."
The legislator "interrupted a unrecorded property league without identifying himself oregon having his Senate information pin connected arsenic helium lunged toward Secretary Noem," the section said successful a connection connected X.
The video shows Padilla did verbally place himself arsenic a legislator anterior to his removal.
DHS added that Padilla "did not comply with officers' repeated commands" to backmost away.
It besides claimed that U.S. Secret Service agents "thought helium was an attacker and officers acted appropriately."
Nevertheless, "Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla aft and held a 15 infinitesimal meeting," DHS said.
The video instantly sparked outrage from Democrats.
"I conscionable saw thing that sickened my stomach: The manhandling of a United States senator," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said connected the level of his chamber.
"We request contiguous answers to what the hellhole went on," Schumer said.
"What conscionable happened to @SenAlexPadilla is perfectly abhorrent and outrageous," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote connected X.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has clashed with President Donald Trump implicit his administration's migration operations successful LA, wrote, "If they tin handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, ideate what they volition bash to you."
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson successful a connection to NBC claimed Padilla "wanted attention" and "embarrassed himself" with "this immature, theater-kid stunt."
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