LOS ANGELES — In an unprecedented and deeply disturbing incident, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed, tackled, and handcuffed by federal agents (Secret Service and FBI) during a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference held Thursday morning at the Westwood Federal Building. The shocking confrontation — captured on video and now circulating widely — shows Padilla being pushed to the ground by agents after attempting to ask DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a question regarding the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
The moment, described by several lawmakers as “fascistic,” has ignited bipartisan shock, sharp condemnation from California leaders, and calls for a full investigation into the actions of federal officers who manhandled a sitting U.S. Senator.
“I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla said as he approached the lectern. Within seconds, agents pushed him backward, shouted commands, and dragged him into an adjoining hallway, where video shows him being shoved to the floor, face pressed into the carpet, and handcuffed.
He was not arrested or formally detained, according to his office.
The incident occurred as Secretary Noem was touting recent federal immigration raids across Los Angeles, describing the city as a “hub of violent criminal activity” and pledging to “liberate it from socialist control.” The press conference was part of a broader escalation of Trump administration crackdowns that have sparked days of mass protests and civil rights outcry throughout Southern California.
Padilla, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, said he was in the building for a scheduled briefing with General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, when he decided to observe the DHS press conference in hopes of receiving new information. His repeated attempts to gain insight through official channels, he said, had gone unanswered.
“I had a question, so I began to ask it,” Padilla told reporters after his release. “I was almost immediately forcibly removed, forced to the ground, and handcuffed. If this is how the administration responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers across California.”
Secretary Noem and federal officials have attempted to cast the incident as a matter of security protocol. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Padilla of “lunging” toward the secretary, claiming he failed to wear his Senate security pin and did not properly identify himself. But video contradicts those claims, showing Padilla clearly stating his name and title before being grabbed.
The footage has elicited widespread condemnation and alarm. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the takedown “outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful,” posting an image of Padilla in handcuffs alongside the words: “Trump and his shock troops are out of control.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, visibly shaken at a press conference later that afternoon, said: “We all saw the tape. We heard him identify himself. Are we really supposed to believe they didn’t know who he was — one of only two U.S. Senators from California? This was not just an assault on Alex Padilla. This was an assault on our democracy.”
Even some Republicans expressed unease. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called the treatment of Padilla “shocking at every level,” while Senator John Thune (R-SD) said he wanted to “get the facts” before drawing conclusions.
But others in the GOP accused Padilla of staging a spectacle. “He got what he wanted — he’s on TV,” said Senator Lindsey Graham. The White House, through spokesperson Abigail Jackson, claimed Padilla’s actions were “an immature, theater-kid stunt” and suggested Democrats were more upset about the incident than “violent riots” in Los Angeles.
Civil rights groups reacted swiftly. Damon Hewitt, President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, condemned the “violent removal and arrest” of Padilla, stating it was “predictably in line with this administration’s escalating contempt for democratic norms.” The group called the act “a complete affront to all Americans.”
In Sacramento, State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said: “Alex Padilla is a U.S. Senator who was asking important questions and was violently detained. This is outrageous and reprehensible. All Americans must stand up to these authoritarian thugs.”
Senator Scott Wiener called it a “frontal assault on democracy,” and said, “Federal thugs detaining and roughing up a U.S. Senator for trying to question a cabinet secretary is fascism, plain and simple.”
The confrontation comes amid a week of mass protests, arrests, and a sweeping immigration crackdown that critics say has skirted legal and constitutional boundaries. Secretary Noem’s rhetoric — referring to Los Angeles as “a city of criminals” and pledging to “liberate” it — has only intensified fears of political violence and authoritarian overreach.
The administration’s defenders argue that Padilla disrupted a secure federal event and failed to follow protocol. But Democrats say that framing misses the point entirely.
“This isn’t about security protocol,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “It’s about the suppression of oversight, the criminalization of dissent, and the rise of a government that sees accountability as a threat.”
In the Senate, emotions ran high. Padilla’s colleague Senator Adam Schiff called for an immediate investigation into the officers involved. “Padilla has every right to ask questions. He will not be silenced or intimidated.”
For now, Padilla remains defiant. “I came to ask questions,” he said outside the federal building. “What I got instead was a reminder of just how dangerous this administration has become.”
As footage of the incident continues to circulate, it may be Padilla’s image — face down, hands behind his back, surrounded by federal agents — that becomes the defining symbol of the latest crisis in American democracy.
“DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Padilla of “lunging” toward the secretary, claiming he failed to wear his Senate security pin DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Padilla of “lunging” toward the secretary, claiming he failed to wear his Senate security pin”
“But others in the GOP accused Padilla of staging a spectacle. “He got what he wanted — he’s on TV,” said Senator Lindsey Graham. The White House, through spokesperson Abigail Jackson, claimed Padilla’s actions were “an
immature, theater-kid stunt” and suggested Democrats were more upset about the incident than “violent riots” in Los Angeles.”
Yup, there you have it. How were the security guards supposed to know who he is, I don’t care if he said his name or not. The democrats are out of control.
No, there you have the administration spin, but not the facts…
McLaughlin’s claim: She stated Padilla “interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,” and that he ignored commands to back away
However that is undermined by video evidence which shows Padilla clearly saying, “I am Senator Alex Padilla,” before being physically removed and handcuffed
Moreover, multiple news outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle and Washington Post, report no visible “lunge” toward Secretary Noem—he remained roughly 10 feet away and was not displaying threatening behavior
So do we still have it?
“However that is undermined by video evidence which shows Padilla clearly saying, “I am Senator Alex Padilla,” before being physically removed and handcuffed”
Padilla identified himself only after he tried to bum rush the podium and was being removed from the room. I’ve seen the video. So there you have it!
He didn’t “bum rush” anything.
Laughable and ridiculous. But people expect nothing else from you.
Keith using very dated language again. And I have yet to see a video showing anything like that, the reporters who were there did not see it either.
DG say: “Keith using very dated language again.”
An person who has been on the planet longer than you using expressions from another part of their lifetime . . . shocking :-|
Ageist . . . much?
” that is undermined by video evidence which shows Padilla clearly saying, “I am Senator Alex Padilla,” ”
What if Alan C. Miller lunged towards the podium and clearly said, “I am Senator Alex Padilla” ?
Yes Alan, it’s not like everyone knows or is supposed to know who “state” senator Padilla is.
He’s a US Senator
Then he should really know better.
“Thank you to all media outlets for playing the [Padilla’s] freak out,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X. “Shows the public what a complete lunatic Padilla is by rushing towards Secretary Noem and disturbing the informative press conference.”
In a separate post, Cheung described Padilla’s actions as “unhinged.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin argued that Padilla displayed “incredibly aggressive behavior” and “no one knew who he was” at the time of the outburst.
“Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,” McLaughlin wrote on X, adding that Secret Service agents protecting the DHS secretary “thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately.”
https://nypost.com/2025/06/12/us-news/trump-officials-slam-sen-alex-padillas-freak-out-during-noem-presser-complete-lunatic/
This whole thing just makes everyone involved look silly.
It was political theater but it was great political theater. And of course what was the DHS secretary doing? Political theater of course, but she got upstaged big time by the Senior Senator from California, Alex Padilla.
I once read an interview with Jerry Brown during his third term as Governor. He spoke about how, in politics, you get very few opportunities to stand out. Alex Padilla got a monumental moment in the spotlight yesterday pushing back against the cravenness of the Trump administration ripping apart families while terrorizing people and communities in Padilla’s hometown of Los Angeles.
Padilla’s speech outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles in both English and Spanish solidifies his position in the U.S. Senate for life, or as long as he wants it, and makes him a leading voice of the opposition to Trump.
Compare Padilla to Corey Booker holding the Senate Floor and tell me Padilla doesn’t look like the Democratic rock star that he is.
Padilla made a fool of himself.
You didn’t even know he was the US Senator.
Exactly, and I’m from CA and follow politics. How was anyone else to know? He presented himself as a threat.
How could you not know who the Senator is from California?
I’ve given up on CA. Democrats have ruined the state.
“I’m from CA and follow politics.”
“I’ve given up on CA. Democrats have ruined the state.”
So I guess you don’t follow politics in California.
But you know him now and believe me when I tell you Padilla is a political rock star.
In regard to those defending Padilla’s interruption of a news conference, does the fact that he’s a senator justify it? (Seems to me that being a senator makes him look worse, not “better” – regarding that.)
If he attempted to ask a question, that’s not really interrupting. Certainly better ways to handle it than they did.
So, I watched the video once – and he was clearly not only interrupting, he just continued talking.
Given his demeanor, I also would have viewed him as a potential threat – regardless of whether or not he was a senator.
Can’t help but compare it with what might ultimately happen if a speaker exceeded their “2 minutes” at a city council meeting.
In any case, I’d file this under “political theater”.
Certainly better ways that Padilla could conduct himself trying to interrupt a news conference and ask a question.
Certainly better ways for the officials to handle it rather than tackling detaining a US senator
They didn’t know who he was. You do know that there have been two assassination attempts on Trump in the last year. You can’t be too safe.
That’s just ridiculous nonsense. It’s a press conference if you’re that concerned don’t have one. Or what they sometimes do is only allow credential Media into the room. There are far better ways to handle it than they did and this is gonna cause a big problem for everyone. You seem to not acknowledge that they mishandled this.
Padilla mishandled the proper way to conduct himself. He should know better being a senator.
You said that already. The law enforcement screwed up worse and they turned a situation that could have been a funny sidebar into another problematic story of this administration.
” . . . they turned a situation that could have been a funny sidebar into another problematic story of this administration.”
Yeah, I’ll remember to tell the city council how amusing it is (if they’re not already laughing), if I interrupt them and/or exceed my 2 minutes. We could all use a good laugh, I think.
In any case, this incident is absolutely not indicative of a problem with the administration, nor will it harm Padilla. (Might help him a little, one way or another.)
It’s just the usual fodder for those who already side for, or against Trump.
Fake outrage is pretty easy to spot, and even those who generate it know that. (And yet, they continue to try it. Then again, there’s reasons that so much money is spent on advertising, even though we’re supposedly not stupid-enough to believe it.
It’s actually not the same thing, the council rules are governed by the Brown Act and the Government code.
I’ll be sure to remember that the Brown Act and Government Code says it’s o.k. to push me out of the room and slap the cuffs on me. (Without even advancing toward them, in reference to Padilla.)
(At which point the council probably WOULD find that “amusing”.)
Though I don’t think they’d bother visiting with me for 15 minutes afterward.
Face it David – those opposed to Trump aren’t going to get any mileage out of this particular incident.
I was pointing out that the rules governing city council meetings are different than those governing press conferences.
O.K. – what are the “rules” regarding press conferences?
It was in a federal building, right? (That’s one of the excuses being put forth elsewhere, regarding the claims regarding a lack of a security threat.)
As a former federal employee (with access to secure facilities), what do you think would have happened to someone like me had I done that? Other than losing my job or other disciplinary actions, and possibly facing criminal charges?
What special right does a senator have to barge into a news conference and aggressively interrupt it? (That’s the other “implied right” that’s being put forth.) The fact that he’s a senator makes this WORSE, not better.
A press conference held in a federal building is governed under very different rules than a public meeting in California.
One thing – you have to go through security screenings and medal detectors.
As a federal employee you would be treated differently from a senator. This is where things get murkier. But as a Senator Padilla is granted a lot more leeway than you would be as a federal employee.
What I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t have limited attendance to credentialed media, that’s what the state does. I usually have to show press credentials in the capital to gain access.
“What special right does a senator have to do this?”
Especially when security had no idea who he was when he lunged at the podium.
“What I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t have limited attendance to credentialed media, that’s what the state does. I usually have to show press credentials in the capital to gain access.”
I’ll refrain from suggesting that it might be “problematic” that you personally have press credentials that allow you to gain access. Yes, that’s a joke.
But you’re probably right regarding restricting access further than they did.
:-)
Dug this up: Padilla confirms he was first in the federal building for a briefing that got delayed due to Secretary Noem’s press conference. He asked the National Guard member and FBI agent escorting him if he could attend and was escorted into the room. If that’s true, he had a National Guard and FBI agent escort. (Per ABC News)
He sat quietly in the back “for several minutes,” wearing a U.S. Senate–branded shirt, before Noem’s comments prompted him to speak up. Only after identifying himself — “I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary” — was he grabbed, wrestled to the ground, and handcuffed .
Video evidence shows a clear delay (around 20 seconds) between his self-identification and the physical takedown, contradicting claims that he barged in or lung
The only video I’ve seen is one where he’s identifying himself as a senator AFTER they were already pushing him out of the room. By the time it got physical, they weren’t exactly listening to ANYTHING he had to say. (And that’s always true, when it reaches that point.)
I don’t believe that the security detail knew he was a senator, but again – being a senator (should) mean that you follow protocols and common sense standards of behavior. More so than everyone else, for that matter. (And yet, it somehow seems that politicians follow protocols and common sense standards LESS than everyone else. Perhaps because they know that there’s no ramifications, unlike everyone else.)
And when you DO prosecute them (and it’s perceived as politically-motivated), they sometimes end up getting elected as president again.
Truth be told, I found it satisfying to see him pushed out, at least. From the video, we also learned that he is a pretty big guy (which adds to the perceived threat). He appeared agitated-enough to me to possibly lash out at someone (good thing he didn’t).
But if they knew it was a senator interrupting the news conference, they probably should have shut the whole thing down immediately (and prohibited anyone but the media from attending in the future – as you noted).
This incident was all political theater staged by Alex Padilla.
It reminded me of the Trump speech to congress when Representative Al Green had to be removed for disrupting the event.
Green tried to claim it was racism, no surprise there, but the country saw through his charades and it went nowhere. Pretty much like what Padilla just staged.
DG say: “If he attempted to ask a question, that’s not really interrupting.”
Tell you what, this coming Tuesday, I’ll lunge at the dais, proclaim “I’m Alan Miller and I have a question” and keep talking. We’ll see what happens. Maybe I’ll become a political rock star in Davis.
[Note to Davis Police: The above statement is for rhetorical purposes only. No extra officers need be assigned to chambers. Alan Miller will be singing a song and will be not be conducting any actual lunging.]
You’re making the same mistake as Ron. Council meetings are governed by specific rules for public participation
People love it when special rules/privileges are created for powerful politicians, but not for themselves.
As I recall, there were all kinds of rules related to political activity (and outside employment) for federal employees (which I believe were primarily INTENDED to apply to federal politicians). And unlike politicians, there are supervisors at federal agencies who WILL enforce them in regard to subordinates. (That is, when they’re not opening the door for Musk/DOGE to come in.)
In any case, here’s what AI says about the Hatch Act in regard to senators (vs. federal employees):
“Yes, the Hatch Act does apply to federal Senators, but with specific limitations. While federal employees are generally restricted from engaging in partisan political activities while on duty, Senators, as members of the legislative branch, are subject to different rules. They are generally free to participate in political activities as long as they are not using government resources or official authority to do so.”
Not sure why you’re posting this
Goes back to your comment about special rules/privileges applying to senators, which don’t apply to everyone else. Of course, some do make sense (since their job is to engage in “political activity”).
But I’m not sure why they’d be allowed to interrupt a news conference, for example. (If that type of thing is allowed, why don’t all members of Congress show up for these things – and completely disrupt it? Especially those opposed to a given administration? After all, they are “senators” or representatives who are “allowed” to do so, right? They have shirts/emblems which provide that authority, apparently.)
Allowed is the wrong word
I’m starting to think there could be reasons to watch news conferences for entertainment value alone. I say let them all in (all of the representatives), and see what happens. I’d also suggest handing out free cream pies, to re-enact some Three Stooges shorts. No one gets out without getting tagged.
If you enjoy watching the demise of democracy
I’ve never seen democracy preserved at a news conference. Not even a goal of doing so.
But I’m increasingly thinking that George Carlin had it right. It’s not the politicians who suck – it’s the public which creates them in the first place. The politicians are simply a reflection of the public. (But as Carlin noted, that’s not going to be a very effective campaign slogan – “the public sucks” – except for “this audience”, of course.) Something like that.
The funniest line of the article:
“As footage of the incident continues to circulate, it may be Padilla’s image — face down, hands behind his back, surrounded by federal agents — that becomes the defining symbol of the latest crisis in American democracy.
Stephen A. Smith’s (hardly a conservative) take on what Padilla did:
“Can Kristi Noem speak? Could you have waited till she finished to ask your questions, to shout your questions?”
“You are a senator, right? You couldn’t wait? So that was just you out of control because you were just losing it, huh?
“You — a United States senator — couldn’t compose yourself and let the head of Homeland Security finish her thoughts before you asked a question?”
“Couldn’t do that, huh? Couldn’t do it, huh?”
Political theater like when Trump ripped Zelinsky in the oval. Everybody’s doing it.
But sadly for Stephen Miller and the people of California this isn’t theater. This is the wet dream deportation race war he has wanted to have since he was at Samo High in Santa Monica. Miller like Charlie Manson in Helter Skelter has the same ultimate goal. Miller wants to foment the violence that the provocative Federal actions in LA precipitated so he can escalate to Helter Skelter. The sad part is that the same people who drank the “He’s only going to deport the bad one’s” kool-aid now are scurrying to defend the escalation of things the far right has long been against, violation of the Posse Comitatus Act and the use of Federal troops over state rights.
Padilla and Miller two kids from L.A. Both with family immigrant stories of rising up through the merchant class. The first, Senator Padilla, popularly elected repeatedly by the people of California, known for his honesty and dignity.
The other Miller, so hateful and emotionally damaged, that he can only occupy a position in high government that doesn’t require Senate confirmation because his hate is so radioactively hot that no Republican Senators want to be on the record supporting him.