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Right-wing media immediately cheer Sen. Alex Padilla being thrown to the ground and handcuffed at Noem press conference

After clearly identifying himself, the California senator was pushed into a hallway, forced to the ground, and handcuffed

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Jack Wheatley, Chloe Simon & Courtney Hagle

Research contributions from Shelby Jamerson

Published 06/12/25 5:43 PM EDT

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s June 12 press conference in Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. Right-wing media immediately began to justify the incident, falsely claiming that the senator had not identified himself, misrepresenting Padilla’s behavior, and defending the actions of law enforcement.

In a video of the incident, Padilla is clearly heard identifying himself as “Sen. Alex Padilla.” According to a statement from Padilla’s office, he was “in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference.” The statement also said that “he tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed.” Padilla is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, which has “oversight of federal agencies with citizenship, asylum, refugee, and immigration enforcement responsibilities.” 

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement claiming that Secret Service agents “thought he was an attacker,” adding: “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.”