Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary. … Hands off me,” Padilla said as law enforcement pushed him out of the room.
Padilla was then handcuffed by police officers in the hallway, according to a photo posted by the Bulwark.
Responding to a question from a reporter about Padilla, Noem claimed that “he did not request a meeting with me, or just speak with me. So when I leave here, I’ll have a conversation with him and visit and find out really what his concerns were.”
“I think everybody in America would agree that that wasn’t appropriate, that if you wanted to have a civil discussion, especially as a leader, a public official, that you would reach out and try to have a conversation,” she said, adding. “I’ll visit with the Senator and find out what his concerns are.”
Padilla office said in a pres release sent out shortly after the incident that the senator is not currently detained, and that they are working on getting more information.
“Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” a statement from the office read. “He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference. He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said afterwards that Padilla “is one of the most decent people I know.”
“This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control,” the governor said. “This must end now.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called the moment “sick.”
“To see how he was handled out of that room is wrong. It’s sick,” she told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he is looking to get “facts and find out exactly what happened,” and noted that “obviously, we will have a response.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) called on Senate Republicans to condemn the incident, calling it “absolutely terrifying.”
“And if Republicans in the Senate don’t condemn this loudly, we are losing our democracy,” Murphy said to reporters. “I mean, this is the end. We’re watching the end of democracy. And you guys have a job to do. Everybody has a job to do right now.”
Murphy declined to entertain questions on other subjects.
He continued, “The only thing that matters right now is that there’s a United States senator in handcuffs because he was doing his job.”
Multiple senators are trying to get in touch with Padilla, including Murphy, who said, “it’s hard to be on the phone when you’re in handcuffs.”
Noem was in Los Angeles addressing protests over a series of sweeps executed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The majority of the demonstrations have been peaceful, but some became chaotic over the weekend.
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President Donald Trump ordered roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to deploy to the city. Newsom filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop troops from coming to California.
On Tuesday, an overnight curfew was imposed in the one-square mile radius of the protest area. Protests have reduced in size since.
Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.