From PBS NewsHour.
Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill spoke out against the forcible removal of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., by law enforcement officials Thursday after he interrupted a news conference in Los Angeles led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem defended Trump’s militarized response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles against the administration’s ramped-up immigration raids.
“We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country,” she said, shortly before Padilla could be heard identifying himself as a senator and saying he had questions for the secretary.
Padilla was pushed out of the room by officials before he could get questions in. Noem continued with her remarks.
Protests against Trump’s actions have emerged in other cities elsewhere in the country, with more demonstrations planned for the weekend.
"Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. Secret Service thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on X.
The department said Noem and Padilla met for 15 minutes following the news conference.
In a statement, Padilla’s office said the senator was "exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California.”
His office confirmed that Padilla was in the building and was listening to Noem’s remarks.
“He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information,” the statement added.
A judge is expected to hear arguments later Thursday in a challenge from California against the administration’s deployment of military forces to respond to immigration raids in Los Angeles.
California has sued the Trump administration for calling up state National Guard troops, saying the president has overstepped his authority. Some legal experts argue the president’s justification for calling up the National Guard is untested legal theory.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
