Federal Agents Force Sen. Alex Padilla to the Floor and Handcuff Him at Noem's Los Angeles Press Conference

On June 12, 2025, Sen. Alex Padilla of California was pushed out of a Los Angeles press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, forced to the ground in a hallway and handcuffed by federal agents. Video shows Padilla stating his name and beginning to ask a question before he was grabbed. Padilla said he identified himself as a senator, was 'immediately forcibly removed from the room, forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed.' DHS said Padilla 'was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply' and that Secret Service personnel 'thought he was an attacker.' Noem said Padilla 'burst into the room and started launching towards the podium.'

A sitting United States senator being restrained by federal agents while attempting to question a cabinet officer is close to unprecedented, and it occurred during a dispute in which the same senator's state was contesting a federal military deployment. The competing accounts turn on whether Padilla identified himself and how quickly agents acted.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the 'manhandling of a United States senator'; Gov. Gavin Newsom called it 'outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful'; Sen. Adam Schiff called for Noem's resignation and an investigation. Padilla was released without charges.