Senator Chris Padilla (D-CA) was nearly in tears as he recounted the incident that resulted in his ejection from a Department of Homeland Security press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Padilla attended a press briefing in Los Angeles regarding the ongoing unrest in the city, during which DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was outlining the agency’s response to the situation and its commitment to deportation efforts. In the middle of the event, Padilla burst into the room and accused Noem of “exaggerating” the extent of the violence occurring in Los Angeles.
Federal personnel quickly removed the senator from the room, and he was briefly handcuffed before being released.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that Secret Service agents perceived Padilla as a potential attacker due to the aggressive way he entered the room.
“Senator Padilla opted for disrespectful political theatrics and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or displaying his Senate security pin as he approached Secretary Noem,” McLaughlin stated in a post on X. “Mr. Padilla was repeatedly instructed to step back but did not heed the officers’ commands. [Secret Service] believed he was an assailant, and the officers acted appropriately.”
Following the incident, Noem and Padilla engaged in a 15-minute meeting, which was characterized as “cordial,” and they exchanged contact information.
Following the meeting, Padilla quickly took to the podium for his own press conference, where he accused the administration of police brutality. “I am present in Los Angeles today, and I was at the federal building, in the conference room, waiting for a scheduled briefing from federal officials as part of my duties as a senator to ensure oversight and accountability,” a visibly emotional Padilla stated after informing reporters that he would not entertain questions.
“Since the start of the year, particularly in recent weeks, I and several of my colleagues have been requesting more information and answers from the Department of Homeland Security regarding their increasingly severe immigration enforcement actions, yet we have received little to no information in response to our inquiries,” he added, disregarding the fact that Noem had testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee less than a month prior.
The senator additionally asserted that his presence was solely to pose inquiries, disregarding the reality that he disrupted the secretary’s address and moved closer to the podium. “I was not arrested. I was not detained. I will state this: if this is the manner in which this administration reacts to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security engages with a senator who has a question, one can only speculate on the treatment of farm workers, cooks, and day laborers in the Los Angeles community, across California, and throughout the nation,” Padilla exclaimed.
Senator Padilla has not been arrested and will not be subjected to any charges stemming from the incident.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino supported the actions taken by his agents in reaction to a perceived threat. “Concerning the incident in LA this afternoon, the Senator involved was not displaying a security pin and actively resisted law enforcement when approached,” Bongino stated in a post on X.
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