‘Uncharted Territory’: Political World Shocked By Footage of Federal Agents ‘Assaulting’ Senator
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is pushed out of the room as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference regarding the recent protests in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The chaotic scene of federal agents forcibly taking a sitting U.S. senator to the ground Thursday sent shockwaves throughout the political world.
On Thursday afternoon, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference in Los Angeles. The conference centered on the deportation efforts in the city and the protests that have arisen from those efforts.
At one point, the conference was suddenly interrupted by California Sen. Alex Padilla, who said he had questions for Noem. As soon as he spoke, he was surrounded by several security staffers who forcibly escorted him out of the room. When they left the room, Padilla was even taken to ground and put in handcuffs.
Many of Padilla’s colleagues in the nation’s capital — including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — voiced their outrage online.
“This assault is not only on @SenAlexPadilla, but on freedom of speech and expression in our country,” she said from her official Twitter/X account. “These actions taken by Trump’s DHS communicates a message to all Americans that none of us is safe.”
Political media was also taken aback by the incident, with Glenn Thrush of The New York Times noting that it “feels like uncharted territory.”
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