US Senator Removed from News Conference
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about immigration raids that have led to protests in California and around the country.
Video shows a Secret Service agent on Noem’s security detail grabbing Padilla, who represents California, by his jacket and shoving him from the room as he tried to interrupt Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.
“I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he shouted in a halting voice.
The stunning scene of a U.S. senator being aggressively removed from a Cabinet secretary’s news conference prompted immediate outrage from his Democratic colleagues in the chamber. It comes as the White House has aggressively targeted protesters in California who are demonstrating against immigration raids, including by sending in National Guard troops and Marines.
Background of the Incident
The Department of Homeland Security said Padilla “chose disrespectful political theater and interrupted a live news conference.” They claimed erroneously that Padilla did not identify himself and said Secret Service believed him to be an attacker.
“Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” the statement said, adding that “officers acted appropriately.”
Response from Senator Padilla
Emerging afterward, Padilla said he and his colleagues have asked the department for more information on their “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions” and received little to no information.
“If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question … I can only imagine what they are doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers throughout the Los Angeles community, and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said.
Related Incidents
Noem told Fox LA afterward that she had a “great” conversation with Padilla after the scuffle, but called his approach “something that I don’t think was appropriate at all.”
The fracas in Los Angeles came just days after Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Democrats have framed the charges as intimidation efforts.
Senator Padilla’s Criticism of Immigration Raids
Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has been a harsh critic of the recent federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying the president “isn’t targeting criminals in his mass deportation agenda, he is terrorizing communities, breaking apart families and putting American citizens in harm’s way.”
Support from Fellow Senators
At the Capitol, senators were sharing the video among one another as they gathered on the Senate floor for a series of votes. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., said she texted Padilla immediately “to let him know we support him.”
She said she also showed it to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
“I think he was as shocked as we all were,” Blunt Rochester said. “So, hopefully we will come together as one voice.”
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, called the video “utterly revolting” and said there should be consequences.
By Krysta Fauria and Michael R. Blood, Associated Press. AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington and Jaimie Ding contributed to this report.
Conclusion
The incident involving Senator Padilla highlights the growing tensions between the White House and Democratic lawmakers over immigration policy. The use of force to remove a senator from a news conference is a disturbing development that raises concerns about the erosion of democratic norms and the suppression of dissenting voices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happened to Senator Padilla at the news conference?
A: Senator Padilla was forcefully removed from the news conference by a Secret Service agent and handcuffed after he tried to interrupt Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s remarks.
Q: Why was Senator Padilla trying to speak up?
A: Senator Padilla was trying to ask questions about the recent immigration raids in Los Angeles and the administration’s enforcement actions.
Q: How have other lawmakers responded to the incident?
A: Many Democratic lawmakers have expressed outrage and support for Senator Padilla, with some calling for consequences for the officers involved.
Q: What is the context of the incident?
A: The incident occurred amidst growing protests and tensions over immigration policy, with the White House deploying National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in response to demonstrations against immigration raids.
