Padilla says in Senate ‘it’s time to wake up’ after forced removal from Noem’s event
June 17, 2025
Sen. Alex Padilla is encouraging Americans to peacefully protest against President Donald Trump’s administration in his first extended remarks in the Senate since he was forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles when he tried to speak about immigration raids. Padilla on Tuesday recounted last week’s altercation, in which security forced him out of the room and onto the ground after he tried to ask Noem a question. The California Democrat says he was pushed and pulled and ended up on the floor. Noem’s department says the Secret Service thought Padilla was an attacker. Padilla and Democratic colleagues have framed the episode as intimidation by Trump’s Republican administration.
