Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California warned Sunday that if he, as a U.S. senator, could be forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference, “don’t just imagine what they’re capable of, but what they are doing when the cameras are not there” to others.
“If that’s how this administration responds to the senator with a question, don’t just imagine what they’re capable of, but what they are doing when the cameras are not there, to people without a title like United States senator, that cruel, disrespectful treatment of so many people who deserve much better,” Padilla said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Padilla was removed on Thursday from a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles amid ongoing immigration raids and protests in the city. Last week, President Trump overrode California Gov. Gavin Newsom and sent in the National Guard and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell the protests.
Noem was describing what she called the “burdensome leadership” of California’s governor and the mayor of Los Angeles, when Padilla interrupted and attempted to ask a question before being pushed from the room. He could be heard yelling, “I’m Sen. Alex Padilla and I have questions for the secretary,” as he was forcefully escorted out of the room.
Democrats on Capitol Hill and throughout the country expressed shock at the treatment of a U.S. senator, and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the incident “horrible” and “not the America I know.”
Noem told reporters afterward that she “wished that he would have reached out and identified himself and let us know who he was and that he wanted to talk.”
Los Angeles was among more than 2,000 cities nationwide that held protests Saturday against the Trump administration, which in L.A. resulted in police dispersing the crowd. Los Angeles Police Department officers said on a post to X that “people in the crowd are throwing rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects” when the march passed by the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building. Newsom on Saturday accused the Defense Department of using old images to promote the military presence.
Padilla said Sunday that last week, he was supposed to have his own briefing with the same representatives of Northern Command in the same building as Noem’s media event, but it was delayed due to the news conference. He said he asked if he could listen in because he does not feel Noem has provided “substantive answers” to questions to Congress, whether it be in formal requests via letters or in testimony before Congress.
“So to be able to ask a question of the secretary directly when they offered the meeting after the incident, I took it,” Padilla said.
Padilla said he wanted to ask about “their justification for the federalization of the National Guard,” which he considers “not only not necessary, but counterproductive as we’ve seen this last week in Los Angeles.”
He also said he wanted to ask about the increasing number of stories of people who are “undocumented, long-term residents of the United States who are otherwise law-abiding, working hard, paying taxes, raising families” being targeted for deportation.
Padilla said a “key question” he had for Noem was about how many criminals are being deported, which is who the Trump administration has claimed to be targeting.
“Of course, she had no data, had no answer,” Padilla said. “Promised to follow up. I hope, we’ll see.”
Padilla added that it was the same reaction when he had the “audacity to try to ask a question as a senator of a Cabinet secretary.”
“The vast majority of people in that room knew who I was,” Padilla said. “I was escorted into that room by an FBI agent and a National Guard member. It’s the Los Angeles press corps. It said United States Senate on the chest of my polo.”
Noem told reporters afterward that she and Padilla met after the incident and had a “very productive” conversation.
Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork.
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