Alex Padilla Appears To Choke Up On Senate Floor As He Recounts Disrupting Noem’s Press Conference

Democrat California Sen. Alex Padilla became visibly emotional during a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday as he recounted being removed from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference.

Security forcibly removed Padilla from Noem’s Thursday press conference as he disobeyed the officers’ orders to put his hands up and attempted to shout out a question. On the Senate floor, Padilla held back tears as he recounted being “forced to the ground,” handcuffed and “marched down a hallway” without being told why he was detained.

“You’ve seen the video. I was pushed and pulled, [I] struggled to maintain my balance. I was forced to the ground, first on my knees and then flat on my chest,” Padilla emotionally said. “And as I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway, repeatedly asking ‘why am I being detained?’ Not once did they tell me why. I pray you never have a moment like this. But I will tell you, in that moment, a lot of questions came to my mind. First of all, where are they taking me? Because I know I’m not just being escorted out of the building. Am I being arrested here? And what will a city already on edge from being militarized think when they see their United States senator being handcuffed just for trying to ask a question?”

WATCH:

Padilla compared himself to protesters throughout history who had “shed blood” and “lost their lives,” saying he was simply trying to “stand up” and “speak out” against President Donald Trump’s alleged “overreach.” He then warned that his detainment and removal at the press conference means that the administration will punish Americans who “speak up” against them.

“If that is what the administration is willing to do to a United States senator for having the authority to simply ask a question, imagine what they’ll do to any American who dares to speak up. If what you saw happen can happen when the cameras are on, imagine not only what can happen, but what is happening in so many places where there are no cameras,” Padilla said.

Padilla attempted to resist his removal inside the room, shouted out his name and attempted to ask about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) arrest of violent illegal immigrant criminals, footage of the incident shows.

WATCH: California Senator Alex Padilla handcuffed after being forcibly removed for interrupting a press conference held by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem earlier today. https://t.co/F8XSaxSRox pic.twitter.com/23Axb8L2zU

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 12, 2025

DHS said in a statement on X that Padilla engaged in “political theatre” by interrupting the press conference as he “lunged” at Noem. The agency confirmed that Noem met with Padilla for a 15- minute meeting after the incident.

The California senator told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that he did not intentionally cause a scene at Noem’s press conference for public attention. Padilla said he was in a room at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles when he learned that Noem was holding the event “a couple doors down,” and decided to listen in.

“When I heard the secretary, not for the first time in that press conference, talk about the [need] to liberate the people of Los Angeles from their duly elected mayor and governor, it was at that moment that I chose to try to ask a question,” Padilla told Bash.

After being removed from the premises, Padilla told reporters on Thursday that he was fulfilling his responsibilities as a senator to “conduct oversight and accountability” by “peacefully” asking a question.