Watch: Sen. Alex Padilla forcibly removed, handcuffed from DHS press conference

India Today

19 hours ago

US Senator Alex Padilla from California was handcuffed and removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on Thursday. The Democrat leader attempted to speak up during the event to ask questions about ongoing immigration raids in California and other parts of the US.Padilla was seen in a video trying to address Secretary Noem. "I'm Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary," he shouted. To which, a Secret Service agent pulled him by his jacket and pushed him out of the room. Officers forced him to the ground and put him in handcuffs.advertisementThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement claiming that Padilla interrupted the press conference: "Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem."
"Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands. US Secret Service thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15-minute meeting," it added. However, Padilla's team pushed back on that claim. His office said he had been in the building for a military briefing and stopped by the press event to ask a question. "He tried to ask the secretary a question and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground, and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information," said a spokesperson for Padilla.advertisementLater, Noem told Fox LA that she had a "great" conversation with Padilla after the incident but said, "His approach was something that I don't think was appropriate at all."TENSIONS OVER IMMIGRATION POLICYThe fracas in Los Angeles came just days after Democratic US Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention centre in New Jersey while Newark's mayor was being arrested after he tried to attend a congressional oversight visit to the facility. Democrats have framed the charges as intimidation efforts by the Trump administration.Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has been a harsh critic of President Donald Trump and his mass deportations' agenda. In a post on the social platform X, he said of recent federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, "Trump isn't targeting criminals in his mass deportation agenda, he is terrorising communities, breaking apart families and putting American citizens in harm's way."At the Capitol, senators were sharing the video with one another as they gathered on the Senate floor for a series of votes. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., said she texted Padilla immediately "to let him know we support him."Sen. Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut called the video "utterly revolting" and said there should be consequences for how the situation was handled.