From 'spectacle' to cash grab: Padilla's removal from DHS presser sparks DC firestorm, fundraising push
Sen. Alex Padilla’s, D-Calif., forcible removal from a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem triggered a firestorm in the media and on Capitol Hill, unleashing a wave of scrutiny against both the lawmaker and the Trump administration.
The tense scene came in the midst of the ongoing anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, which began last week in response to ICE raids in the area. The violent protests and unrest triggered President Donald Trump to mobilize the National Guard in response and for curfews to be enacted in the city.
Below is a breakdown of events between Noem and Padilla, and the reaction on Capitol Hill.
Fox News first reported that the secretary would be holding a briefing, with guidance making the rounds at roughly 9 a.m. Pacific time. By roughly 11 a.m. Thursday, the press briefing at the FBI headquarters in L.A. began with Noem, local officials and press.
Padilla, however, was also in the building receiving a separate briefing when he caught wind of Noem’s press conference. The lawmaker had been in Washington the entire week prior, only missing votes on Thursday.
Five minutes into her prepared opening remarks, Padilla burst into the room. Videos of the incident showed that he did not immediately identify himself, and was quickly swarmed by Secret Service and FBI agents, who bellowed "hands up."
"I'm Sen. Alex Padilla," he said amid the scuffle. "I have questions for the secretary."
DEMOCRAT SENATOR FORCIBLY REMOVED AFTER CRASHING DHS SECRETARY NOEM'S PRESS CONFERENCE
He was later taken from the room and brought to the floor where he was briefly handcuffed while the press conference continued.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who was in the room, said on X that Padilla entered the briefing "without identifying himself," nor did he have "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 command," she said. "[The Secret Service] thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately."
The pair later met and spoke for 10 to 15 minutes and had a good dialogue where Padilla laid out his concerns with the ICE operations, and they even exchanged phone numbers, Noem said.
But afterward, Padilla shared a much different sentiment with reporters.
"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," he said. "We will hold this administration accountable."
Noem scoffed at his remarks and suggested that "perhaps he wanted the scene."
"I think the American people are tired of this," she said. "They just want the truth, and they just want to know what's happening, and that's what we were trying to provide."
The video of Padilla quickly spread on Capitol Hill, where members of the House were gearing up for a vote, and some senators watched the spectacle unfold on the Senate floor.
The scene triggered a firestorm in the media and on the Hill, where lawmakers rushed to either condemn the treatment of Padilla or blast him for trying to attract the spotlight in the midst of the ongoing anti-ICE riots.
"I think [Padilla] should have been here in Washington voting," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who had yet to see the video. "He has a responsibility to his constituents, to show up at work, not to go try to make a spectacle of himself."
Democratic lawmakers staged a march to the offices of both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., in protest and arguments erupted on the House floor.
Democratic lawmakers universally condemned the level of force used to remove Padilla, with some calling for investigations into the matter. Others demanded that Noem resign from her post.
"We need an independent investigation of this," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told MSNBC. "It is also time for Kristi Noem to resign. She needs to resign."
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Johnson called for Padilla’s censure.
"We’re not going to have branches fighting physically and having senators charging Cabinet secretaries," he said. "We got to do better, and I hope that we will."
Thune, however, took a more cautious approach when hounded by reporters for a reaction to the incident.
He said that he spoke with Padilla, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, and had been working to contact Noem.
"We want to know the full scope of what happened," he said. "And do what we would do on any incident like this involving a senator, to try to gather all the relevant information."
Less than 24-hours after the incident, Padilla, who is not up for reelection until the 2028 cycle, and Senate Democrats were already fundraising off of the chaotic scene.
In a fundraising email sent at roughly 9 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, Padilla recounted the events and issued the same warning he made hours earlier.
"Trump and ICE are terrorizing immigrant communities," the email read. "Targeting schools and workplaces. Deporting people with no due process."
The Democratic National Committee also jumped into the fray, sending their own fundraising email just minutes after Padilla’s.
The organization accused the Trump administration of taking "steps toward authoritarianism" and requested a contribution that would be split between Padilla and other Democrats so that others would have "the resources to keep fighting back against Trump."
"This is not only an attack on a sitting senator — it’s an attack on freedom of speech and expression in our country," the organization said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Padilla's office and the White House for comment on this article.