• Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed during a press conference in Los Angeles.
• The incident has sparked outrage across party lines, with many calling it an assault on democratic norms.
• Federal officials claimed Padilla engaged in “disrespectful political theatre” for interrupting the press conference.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the incident as “outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful.”
• Democrats are pushing for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to testify about the incident.

Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12, 2025. During the press conference, Padilla attempted to ask questions regarding immigration raids, which have incited local protests. Security agents, asserting he was a potential threat, quickly intervened and handcuffed him while he asserted his position as a senator, declaring, “I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” according to SCMP and HuffPost.

As Padilla was forcefully escorted from the room, a video captured the chaotic scene, with multiple agents pushing him to the ground, handcuffing him, and stating, “There’s no recording allowed out here,” as captured by a Times photographer present at the incident, reported by LA Times.

Following the incident, Padilla criticized the government’s actions, drawing attention to the treatment of marginalized workers in his community. He stated, “If this is how the Trump administration treats a senator with a question, imagine what they’re doing to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community,” according to LA Times and ABC News.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have publicly condemned the incident, labeling it a grave misconduct against a sitting senator. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the handling of Padilla as “sickening,” calling for immediate clarifications of the events that transpired, as reported by India Times and India Times.

The Department of Homeland Security later supported the actions of the federal agents, asserting that Padilla did not identify himself adequately, arguing he was engaging in disrespectful political theatre, according to The Hill and ABC News.

In response, Democrats have expressed a strong desire to have Secretary Noem testify before Congress to clarify the events of the incident, framing it as an escalation in the Trump administration's confrontational approach to opposition voices within Congress, according to HuffPost.