Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed and forcibly removed from Kristi Noem’s LA press conference
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Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed and forcibly removed from Kristi Noem’s LA press conference
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, was forcibly removed from a press conference. He was speaking about the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said she didn’t know why he was being removed. Noem’s office said it is working to get more information about the incident. The incident has sparked outrage on social media and calls for an investigation. The U.S. government has been cracking down on illegal immigrants in the U.A.E. and Mexico. The Obama administration has said the crackdown is necessary to protect the nation’s borders.
“I am Senator Alex Padilla, I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla said as he was hauled from the room at a federal building in Los Angels where Noem was speaking.
Noem said during the press conference that she doesn’t know the two-term Padilla and that he hadn’t requested a meeting with her.
“So when I leave here I’ll have a conversation with him and visit and find out really what his concerns were,” the Trump Cabinet secretary said. “I think everybody in America would agree that wasn’t appropriate.”
Noem’s agency oversees Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which has been carrying out raids in the city. Protesters have flooded downtown Los Angeles for five days, some of which have devolved into violence as protesters burn cars and loot buildings.
“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country,” Noem said as Padilla started asking: “Madam Secretary I want to know why you insist on –” before he was grabbed by security guards.
Padilla was pushed to the ground and handcuffed after being hauled out of the room. His office issued a statement shortly after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The senior senator from California was in Los Angeles to “perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” his office said in a statement. “He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”
Democrats condemned Padilla’s treatment.
“If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, called the events in Los Angeles “un-American” and urged an investigation.
“I just saw something that sickened my stomach, the manhandling of a United States Senator,” he said. “We need immediate answers to what the hell went on.”