California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed after raising questions at United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s L.A. press conference on Thursday.
“I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he shouted as he was shoved out the door by men wearing FBI vests and others in plainclothes. He was then forced to the floor and handcuffed out in the hall.
Watch the stunning moment below and in the video above:
Sen. Alex Padilla was just handcuffed and detained while standing up to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at her LA press conference.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 12, 2025
This is not America. pic.twitter.com/mZ7bFNdA3e
After being forced out of the room and handcuffed, the senator was not detained. Speaking shortly after the incident to members of the media, Padilla explained that he was waiting for a separate meeting down the hall when he heard of the Homeland Secretary’s conference nearby. He has had questions about the administration’s “increasingly extreme” immigration actions in Los Angeles and sought answers. Of course, he was not able to ask Noem those questions before being removed.
The senator questioned aloud how the administration may be treating the immigrants they’ve detained and readied for deportation in ongoing, sweeping ICE raids across the U.S., musing if this “is how they treat a senator with a question, you can only imagine” what that looks like.
Padilla expanded on his thoughts in a social media statement around 2 p.m. local on Thursday.
“I was in the Federal Building in Los Angeles to meet with federal officials as part of my job to provide oversight and accountability of the administration. While I was waiting for a scheduled briefing with Gen. Guillot, I learned that Secretary Norm was having a press conference just down the hall,” the senator said. “We have repeated asked hte Trump administration for answers on the deployment of military forces and the needless escalation in Los Angeles over the last week — and have gotten limited to no information.”
He continued: “I attended Secretary Noem’s press conference in hopes of getting some answers. After identifying myself and trying to ask a question, I was aggressively pushed out of the room, forced to the ground and handcuffed. If that’s what they do to a United States senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable.”
If that’s what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable. pic.twitter.com/ZMExvMmZfE
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) June 12, 2025
