Alex Padilla's Treatment at Kristi Noem Event Sparks Fury: 'What the Hell'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Democrats and Republicans alike were stunned on Thursday when California Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed and forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles.
The Context
Padilla was removed from Noem's press conference as he shouted that he wanted to ask her questions amid the government's response to ongoing demonstrations in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the area.
"I'm Senator Alex Padilla, and I have questions for the secretary," Padilla was heard saying as he was escorted out of the room. Noem continued her remarks, addressing an audience of reporters and law enforcement officials.
"I don't even know the senator. He did not request a meeting with me or to speak with me, so when I leave here I'll have a conversation with him, and visit and find out what his concerns were," Noem said. "I think everybody in America would agree that was inappropriate."
What To Know
"Watching this video sickened my stomach, the manhandling of a United States Senator, Senator Padilla," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a video of Padilla being removed from the press conference. "We need immediate answers to what the hell went on."
Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California, whose district includes parts of Los Angeles, called Padilla's removal a "threat to the rule of law and democratic accountability."
"If this can happen to immigrant communities, it can happen to anyone," he added.
Democratic Representative Norma Torres of California wrote on X: "Let's call it what it is: a disgraceful abuse of power. Senator Alex Padilla was dragged and handcuffed out for daring to question Secretary Noem. This wasn't a threat—it was dissent. They're not keeping us safe—they're silencing us."
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of the more moderate GOP voices in Congress, described the incident on X as "shocking," adding: "It's not the America I know."
Some of President Donald Trump's allies, meanwhile, cheered Padilla's removal.
"Whoa!! A sitting US Senator, Alex Padilla, was just shoved and forcibly removed from a press conference with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem," Charlie Kirk, the head of the right-wing group Turning Point USA, wrote on X. "Reports are he's been arrested. No one is above the law. It's about time these Democrats stopped acting like they are."
It's unclear what, if any, law Padilla broke while attending Noem's press conference.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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