Sen. Alex Padilla is forcibly removed from the room during a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
WASHINGTON — AAPI members of Congress were among the Democrats condemning the treatment of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) during a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12.
After Padilla, an opponent of the ongoing ICE raids in Southern California and the use of the National Guard and the Marines to deal with the protests, asked a question, he was forcibly removed from the room by federal agents, pinned to the ground and handcuffed. He was not detained or arrested.
Noem claimed that she didn’t recognize Padilla and that he failed to identify himself. Videos of the incident show that he identified himself as he was pushed from the room. It was not clear if he said his name as he approached the podium.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Padilla “crashed” the press conference and “recklessly lunged toward the podium.”
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the incident as “disrespectful political theater” and claimed that Padilla “was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands.”
In an interview with MSNBC, Padilla, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety, said that he was already in the Federal Building for a scheduled briefing with members of the Northern Command and, after asking if he could attend the press conference, that he was escorted there by members of the National Guard and the FBI.
Padilla and Noem later had a private conversation for 10 to 15 minutes.
Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus reacted to the incident.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii): “Sickening. This is what authoritarians do. None of us is safe from this regime.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.): “If this can happen to Sen. Alex Padilla, it can happen to any American. When will Republicans finally stand up for our constitutional rights in the face of this increasingly autocratic regime? There’s no way to spin this. This is un-American.”
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.): “Now is not the time to be silent. The video footage of Sen. Alex Padilla being forcibly removed and handcuffed at DHS Secretary Noem’s press conference in L.A. is disturbing and unacceptable. What we’ve seen today continues the dangerous trend of this administration intimidating anyone who stands up and disagrees with them.”
Rep. Derek Tran (D-Cypress): “Sen. Alex Padilla was dragged out of Kristi Noem’s press conference for simply asking a question. I refuse to allow these actions to become the norm. We need transparency. We need answers, now.”
Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine): “The assault on Sen. Alex Padilla is unacceptable and the perpetrators must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Senator Padilla is a devoted public servant who was doing his job. Nothing warrants this assault. We need immediate answers and accountability.”
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena): “Treating Sen. Alex Padilla this way shows what this is about: crushing dissent. Not even a U.S. senator doing his job is exempt from Trump’s wrath and need for control.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles): “ICE has deported a kid, wrongfully detained citizens, and has now forcibly arrested a U.S. senator because he dared to ask Secretary Noem questions. This is a call to action to hold this administration accountable. Rise up, peacefully exercise your rights, and make your voices heard.”
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside): “The assault of Sen. Padilla is the latest in a series of actions this administration has done to try and silent our dissent. I took to the floor of the House of Representatives to condemn this and urge Californians to keep using their voice.
“Kristi Noem must resign. What happened to Sen. Padilla was not an accident — it was part of a larger pattern of this administration using violence to intimidate. But the Department of Homeland Security is not a Noem’s personal goon squad and this kind of authoritarian behavior has no place in America.”
Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento): “The Trump Administration is out of control. The violent removal of my friend, Sen. Alex Padilla, for simply asking questions of Secretary Noem at a press conference is not just disgraceful — it’s an attack on our democracy. The Trump administration must be held accountable. Every day, they weaponize immigration enforcement to target and terrorize communities. In L.A. and across the country, ICE is hiding behind masks and trampling on people’s rights.
“From undermining the rule of law to unleashing military force on our streets, the Trump Administration has made chaos a tool for power. Now, they have crossed a new line: physically assaulting a U.S. senator for doing his job. As members of Congress, we have a constitutional duty to conduct oversight and hold the Trump Administration accountable. We will not let fear and intimidation silence us or stop us from protecting our constituents.”
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Sacramento): “What happened to Sen. Padilla this afternoon can happen to any American. Video footage clearly shows Sen, Padilla identifying himself as a sitting United States senator. He was then pushed into a hallway, forced to the ground, and handcuffed. An officer even blocked his aide from recording the incident.
“Let me be clear: this comes straight from Donald Trump. If we fail to speak out, we risk normalizing these gross abuses of power. Democracies don’t die overnight — they die when people stay silent in the face of escalating authoritarianism.
“I call on my Republican colleagues — especially those who serve alongside Sen. Padilla — to condemn this unacceptable use of force. We should all be alarmed by an Administration using force to silence oversight and dissent.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Santa Clara): “Sen. Padilla was just forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Noem’s press conference. A United States senator seeking clarification from a Cabinet secretary should not be assaulted or treated like this.
“Surely you will join your former Hill colleagues and people of conscience in condemning Sen. Padilla being pushed face-forward onto the ground and handcuffed, J.D. Vance?”