Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) choked up on Tuesday while recounting his brief detention last week after interrupting a news conference being held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles — a disruption that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed as “disrespectful political theatre.”
In remarks on the Senate floor, Padilla appeared to get emotional as he spoke about what happened from his point of view.
“You’ve seen the video. I was pushed and pulled, struggled to maintain my balance. I was forced to the ground — first on my knees and then flat on my chest,” Padilla lamented. “And as I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway, repeatedly asking, ‘Why am I being detained?’, not once did they tell me why.”
Alex Padilla fake cries while explaining how law enforcement protected DHS Secretary Noem from a no-name Senator interrupting her press conference. pic.twitter.com/RqdJth2YVY
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 17, 2025
Padilla went on to say that “a lot of questions” came to his mind, including where was he being taken, was he being arrested there, and “what would a city already on edge from being militarized think when they see their United States senator being handcuffed just for trying to ask a question?”
DHS dismissed the notion that Padilla merely spoke out as Noem was informing the public about the Trump administration’s troop deployment to Los Angeles in response to violent anti-ICE protests.
BREAKING: California Democratic Senator @AlexPadilla4CA just crashed DHS Secretary Noem’s press conference in LA and was forcibly removed. pic.twitter.com/Q2sUWiImAM
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 12, 2025
“Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,” DHS said on X.
“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” the agency added. “[The Secret Service] thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting.”
Democrats have been in an uproar over what happened to Padilla, going as far as to demand an investigation and for Noem to resign from her post. Republicans have largely been more measured in their response.
“Why don’t both sides own up to the fact that they both own some responsibility for what happened there? Sen. Padilla should have found a better way to elevate his concerns to the Secretary of Homeland Security, rather than going in there and having that dust-up,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said on Wednesday.
.@SenThomTillis on @SenAlexPadilla: “Why don’t both sides own up to the fact that they both own some responsibility for what happened there? Senator Padilla should have found a better way to elevate his concerns to the Secretary of Homeland Security, rather than going in there… pic.twitter.com/HrKl3Abo9D
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 18, 2025
“Having said that, there were clearly people in that building that knew he was a U.S. senator, so the minute he was removed from that situation in that briefing room, then they should have treated him with respect, and allowed him to disperse,” Tillis added. “It was disgusting to me to see somebody wrestled to the floor, anybody, but particularly a U.S. senator that’s in a federal building.”