New York lawmakers are reacting with fury after a California U.S. senator was assaulted by law enforcement agents as he attempted to ask a question during Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was shoved out of a room, forced to the ground and handcuffed by security after interrupting Noem at a June 12 briefing.
“I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla said during the press conference where Noem was discussing protests in Los Angeles over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“Hands off,” Padilla, 52, said before he was ushered out of the room.
Padilla, of California, said in a statement that he was forced to the ground and handcuffed by security. A video posted online showed three agents pushing Padilla to the ground and handcuffing his hands behind his back.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York’s senior senator, blasted the incident in a speech on the Senate floor.
“I just saw something that sickened my stomach — the manhandling of a United States senator,” Schumer said in a brief, forceful remark on the floor. “We need immediate answers to what the hell went on.”
The Empire State’s junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, condemned the Trump administration for the incident, and said it should be “ashamed” of itself.
“Senator Padilla was elected by the people of California to represent their communities — which includes asking the tough questions,” Gillibrand said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “This administration should be ashamed.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running for NYC mayor, issued a statement condemning the assault of Padilla and said it was another example of the Trump administration targeting Democratic lawmakers for speaking out against the regime’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing on May 9 at a privately run immigration center. Prosecutors later dropped those charges but charged Democratic U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver with assaulting and resisting officers who were trying to arrest Baraka. Federal prosecutors further indicted a Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, for alleged obstruction of an immigration case.
Both have denied wrongdoing.
“The handcuffing of @SenAlexPadilla, the indictment of @RepLaMonica, and the arrest of a Wisconsin judge show just how far the Trump administration is willing to go to silence opposition and undermine our democracy,” Cuomo said in a post on X. “New Yorkers must stand together and protect one another to ensure these abuses of power never take root in our city.”
Noem was speaking in Los Angeles, which has seen days of protests against Trump’s crackdown on migrants. The White House has responded by sending National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into the city, saying they would help secure federal buildings and defend Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
DHS in a statement on X accused Padilla of engaging in “disrespectful political theater,” and claimed that Noem spoke with Padilla after the incident.
