Security or Censorship? Padilla Removed After Questioning Secretary Kristi Noem
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed Thursday during a Department of Homeland Security press conference led by Secretary Kristi Noem, following an interruption over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
The incident occurred during a media briefing at a federal building downtown, where Noem was addressing recent federal immigration actions and growing protests in the region. Padilla, who chairs the Senate’s Border Security and Immigration subcommittee, entered the event and began demanding answers from the secretary, according to eyewitnesses and video recordings.
Footage captured at the scene shows Secret Service agents intervening as Padilla approached the podium. The senator was pushed backward, then subdued by multiple agents. FBI officers removed him from the room, pushed him to the floor, and put him in handcuffs.
DHS officials later alleged Padilla had “lunged” toward the secretary and failed to comply with commands. A spokesperson for the department described the action as a “security protocol response,” adding that the senator was not displaying any Senate identification at the time.
Padilla’s office strongly refuted the characterization, stating that the senator was scheduled to attend meetings in the building and sought answers regarding DHS immigration operations. In the video, Senator Padilla is seen saying, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.” He stated that he was seeking clarification because DHS had refused to respond to his and other Democrats’ inquiries about “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions.”
The incident, which was recorded and circulated widely on social media, drew swift reactions from lawmakers. Democratic colleagues denounced the confrontation as an abuse of power, calling it emblematic of authoritarian overreach. Several Republican lawmakers dismissed the outburst as political grandstanding, while a handful reportedly contacted Padilla privately to express concern.
During a press conference following the incident, Senator Padilla noted, “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the DHS responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers, throughout the LA community and throughout California and throughout the country,”
Governor Newsom reacted by saying that Padilla was “one of the most decent people I know.” He added, “This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”
Mayor Karen Bass remarked during a press conference later on Thursday that she served in Congress with Krist Noem, saying, “Madam Secretary, I do not recognize you anymore. I do not know Kristi Noem, that I served with for 10 years.”
Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, has been a vocal critic of recent federal crackdowns on undocumented communities in Southern California. Earlier this week, Secretary Noem referred to Los Angeles as a “city of criminals” in remarks defending the surge in federal immigration raids.
