LOS ANGELES — California Sen. Alex Padilla was detained and handcuffed during an altercation at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Video provided by Padilla’s office shows the senator approaching the lectern as Noem was touting federal law enforcement’s immigration crackdown efforts in Los Angeles. He was stopped and shoved back by multiple men.
“I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he said. He tried to speak further as he was forcibly removed into an adjoining room, where he yelled “Hands off!”
The video shows Padilla being forced to the ground and his arms handcuffed behind his back. He has since been released and is in a holding room. The spokesperson said the senator was told he could speak to Noem after the event.
The confrontation earned a swift rebuke from fellow Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who condemned the action from the floor shortly thereafter.
“Forcibly removing a United States Senator from a press conference is disgraceful,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said on X. “This administration’s chaos and corruption is out of control.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the treatment of Padilla “outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful” in a social media post shortly after the incident.
“Trump and his shock troops are out of control,” he wrote.
Asked about the confrontation at the news conference, Noem said, “I’ll visit with the senator and find out, really, what his concerns are and what we can do.”