LOS ANGELES (BN24) — U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed and briefly handcuffed Thursday during a heated confrontation at a Department of Homeland Security news conference led by Secretary Kristi Noem, escalating tensions over the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement actions across California.
The incident unfolded at a DHS press briefing in Los Angeles, where Noem declared that federal immigration authorities would “liberate” the city from what she called “socialist leadership” while vowing an expanded crackdown on undocumented residents. As she concluded her remarks, Padilla stood up from the audience and attempted to speak, shouting, “I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.”
Video from the scene shows a Secret Service agent abruptly grabbing Padilla by the jacket, shoving him away from the lectern, and escorting him out. Outside the briefing room, the senator was seen resisting as several officers pinned him to the ground in a hallway, handcuffing him while he yelled, “Hands off!”
Witnesses and reporters captured images and video of the scuffle, which quickly spread across Capitol Hill, triggering bipartisan concern over the handling of a sitting senator during a public government event. Democratic leaders denounced the confrontation as an egregious abuse of executive power, while Republican leaders described Padilla’s actions as disruptive.
From the Senate floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., condemned the treatment of Padilla, calling it “despicable, disgusting and so un-American.” He demanded a full investigation and accountability for what he called “the physical silencing of a senator performing his oversight duties.”
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security claimed Padilla failed to identify himself and “chose disrespectful political theater.” The agency defended the Secret Service, saying its agents acted appropriately under the belief that Padilla was a threat.
However, multiple video clips clearly show Padilla identifying himself as a U.S. senator prior to his removal.
Following the incident, Padilla, visibly shaken but uninjured, told reporters outside the venue that he was trying to obtain answers regarding “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions” being carried out by the federal government in his state. “If this is how they respond to a senator asking questions,” he said, “I can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, day laborers, and cooks throughout California and the nation.”
Padilla, who in 2021 became the first Latino senator from California when he was appointed to succeed Vice President Kamala Harris, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, particularly the recent round of mass raids and detentions in California cities.
Vice President Harris weighed in on social media, writing, “Sen. Padilla was representing the millions of Californians who are demanding answers to this administration’s actions. His removal was a shameful and stunning abuse of power.”
The confrontation comes days after Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was indicted on charges related to an altercation with immigration officers at a New Jersey detention center. The episode further underscores what Democrats describe as a growing pattern of intimidation and suppression of dissent by the Trump administration.
White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson, however, dismissed the incident, accusing Padilla of “grandstanding” for attention. “Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted headlines,” she said in a statement. “Democrats are more outraged about this than the violence and lawlessness plaguing Los Angeles.”
Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Padilla’s behavior was inappropriate. “It was beneath the office of a U.S. senator,” Johnson said, accusing Padilla of “charging” at Secretary Noem.
Senate GOP Leader John Thune, R-S.D., confirmed he had spoken with Padilla and was attempting to reach Noem to understand the full scope of the situation.
Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill rallied around Padilla, describing the event as a dangerous overreach of federal power. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., warned that the Trump administration was making the U.S. “look more and more like a fascist state,” while Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., demanded Noem’s resignation.
At a press conference on the Capitol steps, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declared: “This is not how democracy works. What happened to Sen. Padilla is un-American. There must be accountability.”
As Congress grapples with growing concerns about executive overreach, the clash between Padilla and federal authorities represents a broader conflict between the legislative branch’s oversight duties and what Democrats say is an authoritarian drift under President Trump’s leadership.
