Sen. Alex Padilla of California was removed from a press conference and handcuffed, then placed on the ground in a video that has since gone viral. Sen. Alex Padilla was attempting to address Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who held the press conference to address the volatile immigration enforcement standoff in Los Angeles.
Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem hosted the press conference at the Federal Building in Los Angeles on Thursday (June 12), where Sen. Alex Padilla is from. When Padilla attempted to interject and push back against Secretary Noem’s depiction of the actions undertaken by ICE and supported by armed forces, he was approached by a pair of Secret Service agents.
As noted in the video footage and social media posts, Sen. Padilla was heard saying, “I am Sen. Alex Padilla and I have questions for the secretary” ahead of being handcuffed and put face down on the ground.
Noem used her time at the podium to take jabs at Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has clashed with President Donald Trump over the operation, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“We’re not going away,” Noem said. “We are going to liberate the city from the burdensome leadership, mayor, and governor.”
On X, formerly Twitter, some users are expressing shock at the way that a sitting United States senator was manhandled. We’ve got those reactions below.
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Photo: MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images / Getty