Schumer: Forcible removal of Padilla from Noem press conference ‘reeks of totalitarianism'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the video of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) being forcibly removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and thrown to the ground 'reeks of totalitarianism' and called for an investigation into how it transpired.
A visibly angry Schumer lambasted the administration for not giving Democrats answers about the past week of protests in Los Angeles and said Padilla was doing his job as a senator to seek information.
'He's been thrown to the ground … man-handled. Brutally taken down, handcuffed. It was disgusting,' Schumer said. 'Anyone who looks at this, it will turn their stomach. … Reeks of totalitarianism.
'This is not what democracies do,' Schumer continued. 'Sen. Padilla was there legitimately in that building to ask questions of what's going on in California, which everybody wants to know answers to. We don't get answers when we ask the administration's questions in one way or another. Sen. Padilla was exercising his duty as a senator for his constituents to try to find out what happened.'
The New York Democrat went on to call for a full probe into how Padilla ended up on the ground and handcuffed.
'Instead, he gets man-handled, thrown out of the room, thrown on the ground and handcuffed,' Schumer continued. 'We need a full investigation immediately as to what happened and who did what and what's going to be done to see that this doesn't happen again — to Sen. Padilla or other American citizens who are seeking their right to redress.'
'It's despicable, it's disgusting, it's so un-American,' he added. 'We need answers. We need answers immediately.'
Padilla appeared to interrupt Noem toward the beginning of her press conference, which prompted security to confront him. He identified himself, but the security officers forcibly removed him from the room and later handcuffed him. His office said in a statement that he is no longer detained.
The Homeland Security secretary told reporters she would attempt to speak with Padilla about his concerns.
'When I leave here I'll have a conversation with him, but I think everyone would agree that wasn't appropriate,' Noem said about Padilla at the press conference.
'When I leave here I'll find him and visit and find out really what his concerns were. I think everybody in America would agree that that wasn't appropriate, that if you wanted to have a civil discussion, especially as a leader, a public official, that you would reach out and try to have a conversation,' she added.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sen. John Kennedy and Linda McMahon make significant math error in congressional hearing
On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon tested before the Senate on behalf of Trump's 2026 budget. During this hearing, McMahon and Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy were discussing federal spending for grant programs for disadvantaged students when the pair made a significant mathematical error. The math error occurred when the two spoke on how much the government has spent in the duration of ten years on TRIO and the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). After McMahon confirmed to Kennedy that the government spends approximately $1.58 billion a year on TRIO and has been funding this program for over ten years, Kennedy said, "So that's over a trillion dollars that we've spent on this program..." "We give this money, as I appreciate it, to colleges and universities to encourage poor kids to go to college,' said Kennedy before he went on to imply that colleges have been stealing this grant money from the government for their own purposes, The New Republic reported. McMahon failed to catch and correct Kennedy's math error, however, Sen. John Reed spoke up and corrected the counting mistake. 'I'm not a great mathematician, but I think you were talking about a trillion dollars? I believe $1.5 billion times 10 is $15 billion, and that's a little bit off from a trillion dollars,' said Reed. McMahon said in response that the budget cuts $1.2 billion, to which Reed then replied, "Well that would be $12 billion, not a trillion dollars." Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@ This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Sen. John Kennedy math error. What he said education costs
San Francisco Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Livermore man deported to Mexico after ICE arrest two weeks ago
Miguel Angel Lopez — a longtime Livermore resident who was detained at San Francisco Immigration Court two weeks ago — has been deported to Mexico, his wife, Rosa Lopez, said. Miguel, a husband and father of three U.S. citizens, was detained by immigration officials more than two weeks ago while reporting to a regular appointment at the San Francisco Immigration Court. He was deported to Tijuana on Saturday, June 7, without his passport or other crucial documentation needed to prove his citizenship, his wife said, who flew out to Mexico with their 17-year-old. The Mercury News reported that Lopez's deportation came a few hours after U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson ordered federal authorities to keep Lopez in the country, according to court filings. 'I cry every day, every night before I go to bed,' Rosa told the Chronicle in a phone interview Friday morning. 'It's just hard. I asked him, 'Do you see yourself living here?' and he's like, 'No, my home is back in California.'' Rosa said Miguel, 46, called her last Friday from Golden State Annex in MacFarland, where he was being detained, to let her know that federal immigration officers told him 'to grab his stuff' because he was being deported. She said Miguel was not told where he was being sent. They initially thought he was being sent back to the Bay Area because he was granted a temporary restraining court order to remain in the U.S., Rosa said. It wasn't until the following morning, on Saturday, that Miguel called Rosa from a migrant shelter in Tijuana, she said. Rosa flew out to Mexico the next day to meet up with him in Mexico City. Rosa said Miguel has a court appointment in San Francisco in two weeks. Until then, the couple is in limbo, trying to figure out the next steps for their lives and where Miguel will live while in Mexico. 'On top of having to worry about paying rent for him here (in Mexico) and having to pay my stuff out there (in Northern California), it stresses me out,' Rosa said, adding that Miguel was the primary breadwinner in their household. Lopez and three others were some of the first taken from the federal building while actively and legally attending immigration court, advocates said. Since Lopez's detention, ICE arrests at immigration courts have continued with more frequency, prompting protests and uproar from immigration advocates. On Tuesday, the immigration courts in San Francisco and Concord abruptly shut down amid intense protests. Miguel came to the United States when he was 18, and got married in 2001, Rosa said. She immediately filed paperwork for Miguel to obtain permanent residency, a necessary step before pursuing citizenship. But after 24 years, Miguel and his wife were still working through various courts and legal actions to secure his immigration status, she said. Rosa and the rest of their family are American citizens, she said. President Donald Trump and immigration officials have faced criticism for expedited deportations, including that of a Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador but has not been returned despite court orders to do so. ICE raids and detentions have prompted days of protesting in Los Angeles and across the country, with Trump ordering the National Guard to the city, further prompting uproar from demonstrators.
Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Reacts to Donald Trump's 'Unprecedented' Medicaid Move
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concern for the privacy of immigrants in his state, following reports that the Trump administration has shared Medicaid data with immigration officials. An internal memo and emails obtained by the Associated Press showed that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block the data transfer, citing legal and ethical concerns. Nevertheless, two top advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the dataset handed over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the emails show. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) were given just 54 minutes on Tuesday to comply with the directive. "We deeply value the privacy of all Californians," Newsom's office told Newsweek in a statement. "This action by the federal government has implications for every person on Medicaid, but it is especially alarming for our immigrants and American mixed-status families who are already under relentless, indiscriminate attack by this administration. The federal government continues to instill fear across this nation and shroud its continued violation of Americans' privacy rights in propaganda." Newsweek reached out to DHS and the Department for Health and Human Services for comment via email and contact form Friday afternoon. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted an emergency temporary restraining order to stop President Donald Trump's deployment of the California National Guard, on June 12, 2025, at the California... California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted an emergency temporary restraining order to stop President Donald Trump's deployment of the California National Guard, on June 12, 2025, at the California State Supreme Court building in San Francisco. More Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP Why It Matters Reports of increased data sharing between federal agencies for the purpose of immigration enforcement have caused concerns for several weeks. The Trump administration has said the data is vital in finding illegal immigrants who should be deported. What To Know The dataset included the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars. CMS transferred the information just as the Trump administration was ramping up its enforcement efforts in Southern California. Newsom's office said it was concerned about how deportation officials might utilize the data, especially as federal authorities conduct immigration raids with the assistance of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles. Besides helping authorities locate migrants, experts said, the government could also use the information to scuttle the hopes of migrants seeking green cards, permanent residency or citizenship if they had ever obtained Medicaid benefits funded by the federal government. CMS announced late last month that it was reviewing some states' Medicaid enrollees to ensure federal funds have not been used to pay for coverage for people with "unsatisfactory immigration status." In a letter sent to state Medicaid officials, CMS said that the effort was part of Trump's February 19 executive order titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders." As part of the review, California, Washington and Illinois shared details about non-U.S. citizens who have enrolled in their state's Medicaid program, according to a June 6 memo signed by Medicaid Deputy Director Sara Vitolo that was obtained by AP. The memo was written by several CMS officials under Vitolo's supervision, according to sources familiar with the process. The data includes addresses, names, Social Security numbers and claims data for enrollees in those states, according to the memo and two people familiar with what the states sent to CMS. Both people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details about the data exchange. CMS officials attempted to fight the data sharing request from Homeland Security, saying that complying would violate federal laws, including the Social Security Act and the Privacy Act of 1974, according to Vitolo's memo. "Multiple federal statutory and regulatory authorities do not permit CMS to share this information with entities outside of CMS," Vitolo wrote, further explaining that the sharing of such personal data is allowed only for directly administering the Medicaid program. Sharing information about Medicaid applicants or enrollees with DHS officials would violate a "longstanding policy," wrote Vitolo, a career employee, to Trump appointee Kim Brandt, deputy administrator and chief operating officer of CMS. The legal arguments outlined in the memo were not persuasive to Trump appointees at HHS, which oversees Medicaid. Four days after the memo was sent, on June 10, HHS officials directed the transfer of "the data to DHS by 5:30 ET today," according to email exchanges obtained by AP. Former government officials said the move was unusual because CMS, which has access to personal health data for nearly half of the country, does not typically share such sensitive information with other departments. "DHS has no role in anything related to Medicaid," said Jeffrey Grant, a former career employee at CMS. Beyond her legal arguments, Vitolo said sharing the information with DHS could have a chilling effect on states, perhaps prompting them to withhold information. States, she added, needed to guard against the "legal risk" they were taking by giving federal officials data that could be shared with deportation officials. A 'Concerning' Development All states must legally provide emergency Medicaid services to non-U.S. citizens, including to those who are lawfully present but have not yet met a five-year wait to apply for Medicaid. Seven states, along with the District of Columbia, allow immigrants who are not living legally in the country to enroll—with full benefits—in their state's Medicaid program. The states launched these programs during the Biden administration and said they would not bill the federal government to cover those immigrants' health care costs. The Trump administration has raised doubts about that pledge. Nixon said that the state's Medicaid programs for immigrants "opened the floodgates for illegal immigrants to exploit Medicaid—and forced hard-working Americans to foot the bill." All of the states—California, New York, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota and Colorado—have Democratic governors. As a result of his state's budget woes, Newsom announced earlier this year that he would freeze enrollment in the program. Illinois will shut down its program for roughly 30,000 non-U.S. citizens in July. The remaining states have not yet submitted the identifiable data to CMS as part of the review, according to a public health official who has reviewed CMS' requests to the states. What People Are Saying U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon told AP that the data sharing was legal: "With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority—and in full compliance with all applicable laws—to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them." California Governor Gavin Newsom's office, in a statement sent to Newsweek: "Sharing Medicaid beneficiary information with the Department of Homeland Security—which is itself legally dubious—will jeopardize the safety, health, and security of those who will undoubtedly be targeted by this abuse, and Americans more broadly. "Federal law requires emergency care to be provided to all to save lives, and the federal government helps pay for it for low-income individuals, regardless of immigration status. Every state should be concerned about this data sharing and its implications for the safety and health of its communities. We will continue to vigorously defend Californians' privacy rights and explore all avenues to protect their information and safety." What Happens Next Republicans in Congress are continuing to look to limit undocumented immigrants from accessing federal programs while continuing to scrutinize whether sanctuary jurisdictions allow them to receive benefits. This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
