US Senator Ejected From Chamber, Handcuffed For Trying to Ask Homeland Security Secretary Question

Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles, reports NBC News. Federal agents handcuffed Padilla after leading him out of the courtroom.

Photo: Alex Padilla © Sheila Fitzgerald | Dreamstime.com

California Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was forcibly removed from a Los Angeles news conference on June 12 after he attempted to ask Kristi Noem a question about immigration.

“I’m Senator Alex Padilla, and I have questions for the secretary,” he said to Noem. Several plainclothes men then pushed him out of the room. A senior FBI official later said the incident involved FBI and Secret Service agents.

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Padilla's office provided NBC News with a video of the incident, which showed the senator being led into a hallway, placed face down on the floor, and officers in FBI vests ordering him to put his hands behind his back and handcuffing him.

Trump’s immigration policies and the administration’s response to protests have sparked outrage in recent days. After protesters clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Los Angeles on June 6, Trump sent in the National Guard and then the Marines to support local law enforcement. That sparked protests across the country.

Padilla told reporters he was expecting a briefing with military leaders when he learned Noem was in the same building and decided to attend her news conference.

"I behaved peacefully," he said. "At some point I had a question, I tried to ask it, but I was immediately forcibly taken out of the room, thrown to the floor and handcuffed."

Noem gave a different version of events in an interview with Fox News, claiming that Padilla did not identify himself before being escorted out.

"We were holding a press conference to talk about efforts to restore order in Los Angeles," she said. "This man stormed the room, ran to the podium, and was interrupting me and shouting. He was stopped because he did not identify himself and escorted out."

Before Padilla attempted to ask a question, Noem was touting the administration’s actions — the very reason she was in Los Angeles. The DHS chief said the Department of Homeland Security, its agencies, and the military “will continue to ramp up operations in this city.”

"We are not leaving. We are here to free the city from the socialist and oppressive leadership that the governor and the mayor have imposed," she said, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats.

When Padilla tried to ask a question, Noem shouted him down with the phrase, "I want to thank everyone," after which the senator was escorted out.

The press conference was held in the federal building.

Anthony Cangelosi, a former Secret Service agent and now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, noted that if the event had been private, Padilla's removal might have been justified because he resisted.

"If a person is resisting, it is legal for the agents to use force," Cangelosi concluded. "But if he put his hands up and said, 'OK, I'm leaving,' and they still took him down and handcuffed him, that would be excessive."

The Secret Service said Padilla was interviewed after the incident and quickly determined he was not a threat to Noem. Agents set up a brief meeting between Noem and Padilla.

One of the representatives noted that agents rely on badges to identify high-ranking officials.

Padilla told MSNBC that his polo shirt had the words "United States Senate" written on it, but the FBI agents who detained him did not identify themselves.

“I asked several times why they were detaining me, but there was no answer,” he said. “I didn’t know if they were taking me outside or to a cell. They kept quiet until someone, probably from Noem’s team, realized that I was actually a senator.”

The incident sparked outrage among Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the incident on the floor of the US Congress: "I have seen something outrageous - the violent detention of a United States Senator. We demand an immediate explanation."

California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff wrote in X: "Padilla is one of the best in the Senate. The behavior of the DHS agents who pushed him out of the briefing is reprehensible. He will not be silenced, his questions must be answered. I support Alex."

California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in X that Padilla is "one of the most decent people."

"This is outrageous, dictatorial and disgraceful. Trump and his security forces are out of control. This must stop," he concluded.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the incident "shameful and an egregious abuse of power."

Republicans have largely criticized Padilla.

"Padilla was not looking for answers, he was looking for attention," White House press secretary Abigail Jackson said. "He has embarrassed himself and his constituents with this childish spectacle."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Padilla should work on sensible immigration policies.

"He is a good man, but he did nothing for four years while the border fell apart," he assured.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine called the video of the incident "disturbing."

"I don't know what preceded this, but it looks like he was grabbed and taken out by force. It's hard to imagine an excuse for such behavior," she said.

The incident comes amid a spate of arrests of Democrats linked to the new immigration policies. Last month, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on charges of illegally entering an ICE facility in New Jersey. The charges were later dropped, and Baraka filed a lawsuit against acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Ricky J. Patel, head of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Newark.

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This week, Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was indicted on federal charges in the same standoff with law enforcement.

The Trump administration's "immigration coordinator" Tom Homan suggested that Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass could also be arrested if they interfere with federal agents.

Padilla said on June 12 that his detention raised questions about the conduct of immigration raids.

"If this is how the administration responds to the senator's question, one can only imagine what they are doing to the farmers, cooks and laborers in Los Angeles, California and across the country," he concluded.

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