A dramatic scene unfolded during a press conference on the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots when Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was swiftly removed after interrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Padilla barged into the event and began speaking loudly over Noem, prompting federal authorities to intervene. He was ordered to put his hands up and was quickly escorted out of the room.
The disruption occurred just after Noem declared, “The Department of Homeland Security is staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city.”
Whoa!! A sitting US Senator, Alex Padilla, was just shoved and forcibly removed from a press conference with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Reports are he’s been arrested.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 12, 2025
No one is above the law. It’s about time these Democrats stopped acting like they are. pic.twitter.com/uGoNW6zvEZ
Despite the commotion, Noem continued her remarks without missing a beat.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly jumped to Padilla’s defense. In a post on X, he blamed the Trump administration for what he called the senator’s “temporary detainment.”
“@SenAlexPadilla is one of the most decent people I know,” Newsom wrote. “This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”
Reporters at the press conference said Padilla was temporarily detained by FBI personnel. Later, Noem confirmed she met with the senator privately.
She told reporters the two spoke for 10 to 15 minutes and even exchanged phone numbers. Noem described the meeting as “cordial and beneficial,” adding that Padilla expressed concerns about ICE operations and they established a line of communication.
“Things are OK between us,” she said.
Padilla released a statement afterward, defending his actions and asserting his role as a U.S. senator.
“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,” the statement 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. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”
Just a day earlier, Padilla had left the Congressional Baseball Game in Washington, D.C. to return to California amid the ongoing riots. He was slated to play first base.