Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke out after videos circulated Thursday of Senator Alex Padilla being forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security via email for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has prioritized immigration control as a key pillar of his second administration. The president campaigned in 2024 on the promise of mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration’s border czar to execute his agenda.
Protests broke out on Friday in Los Angeles in reaction to numerous U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the area. Trump sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to help quell the unrest over the weekend, against California Governor Gavin Newsom‘s wishes.
What To Know
Noem scheduled a news conference in L.A. on Thursday regarding the ongoing protests, and Padilla, a California Democrat, was in attendance.
As Noem spoke, the senator was taken from the room while saying he had questions to ask her. Video footage from the incident showed that Padilla was pushed to the ground and handcuffed outside the door. Noem stopped speaking for a brief moment during the commotion, then immediately continued.
Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, called the incident “shocking,” CBS News reporter Alan posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I’ve seen that one clip. It’s horrible. It is shocking at every level. It’s not the America I know,” she said.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
DHS said in a post on X after the incident that, “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.”
“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. @SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting.”
Padilla said in part, “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California, and throughout the country. We will hold this administration accountable.”
What People Are Saying
Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, on X: “Senator Alex Padilla was fulfilling his Congressional oversight duties when he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. This is no isolated instance; this is a pattern of behavior by the Trump administration. There is simply no justification for this abuse of authority.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, on X: “United States Senator Alex Padilla was representing the millions of Californians who are demanding answers to this Administration’s actions in Southern California. This is a shameful and stunning abuse of power.”
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social: “Biden let 21 Million Unvetted, Illegal Aliens flood into the Country from some of the most dangerous and dysfunctional Nations on Earth — Many of them Rapists, Murderers, and Terrorists. This tsunami of Illegals has destroyed Americans’ Public Schools, Hospitals, Parks, Community Resources, and Living Conditions. They have stolen American Jobs, consumed BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in Free Welfare, and turned once idyllic Communities, like Springfield, Ohio, into Third World Nightmares.”
Trump continued: “I campaigned on, and received a Historic Mandate for, the largest Mass Deportation Program in American History. Polling shows overwhelming Public Support for getting the Illegals out, and that is exactly what we will do.
“As Commander-in-Chief, I will always protect and defend the Heroes of ICE and Border Patrol, whose work has already resulted in the Most Secure Border in American History. Anyone who assaults or attacks an ICE or Border Agent will do hard time in jail. Those who are here illegally should either self deport using the CBP Home App or, ICE will find you and remove you. Saving America is not negotiable!”
What Happens Next
A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT to discuss the legality of the federal government’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, potentially bypassing Newsom.
