Democratic US Senator Padilla forced to ground, handcuffed by federal agents

Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla was shoved, forced to the ground and handcuffed by security after attempting to ask a question at a press conference on Thursday held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about immigration raids.

"I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary," Padilla said during the press conference in Los Angeles, where Noem was discussing protests in the city over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

"Hands off," Padilla, 52, said to security agents before he was ushered out of the room.

A video shared by Padilla showed what happened next: Three agents pushed him to the ground and handcuffed his hands behind his back. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video.

Padilla represents California, where Los Angeles has seen days of protests against Trump's crackdown on migrants. The White House responded by sending National Guard troops and US Marines into the city, saying they would help secure federal buildings and defend Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The Department of Homeland Security in a statement on X accused Padilla of engaging in "disrespectful political theater".

"@SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately," the department said, adding that Noem later met with Padilla.

Padilla said in a statement he was released shortly after.

"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 farmers, to cooks, to day-labourers throughout the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country," Padilla said.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino defended agents' actions on social media.

"The senator in question was not wearing a security pin and physically resisted law enforcement when confronted," Bongino said, referring to the lapel pins senators typically wear in the Capitol. "Our FBI personnel acted completely appropriately while assisting Secret Service."

LATEST INCIDENT

During Trump's first week in office, his administration warned it would investigate officials who sought to resist his hardline immigration agenda. It has acted on those threats.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing on May 9 while visiting a privately run immigration centre. Prosecutors later dropped those charges but charged Democratic US Representative LaMonica McIver with assaulting and resisting officers who were trying to arrest Baraka.

Both have denied wrongdoing.

Federal prosecutors also criminally charged a Wisconsin judge for attempting to help a man in her court evade immigration authorities.

Trump earlier this week said he would support the arrest of California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who has accused the administration of violating the law by sending troops into the city.

"This is a sad and frightening state of affairs," McIver said on Thursday. "This administration will stop at nothing to keep elected officials from doing our jobs and demanding accountability for our constituents. We're seeing it in real time: They don’t want oversight, they want total control.”

PARTISAN RESPONSE

The Padilla dust-up triggered immediate, angry responses from Senate Democrats.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the video of the press conference "reeks of totalitarianism."

Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey called Padilla's treatment "a pattern and a practice. This is not an isolated incident," referencing the Newark incident.

"I have been here for more than 32 years," said Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington state. "I cannot believe that we don't have senators on both sides of the aisle calling this out as outrageous."

Many Republicans found fault with Padilla's actions.

"He should have been here in Washington voting. He has a responsibility to his constituents to show up at work, not to go try to make a spectacle of himself," Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, told reporters.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a maverick in her party who in the past has said that Trump's threats of political retaliation make people "afraid," criticised Padilla's treatment.

"Senator Padilla is a big, tall guy, and to see how he was handled out of that room is wrong and sick," she told reporters at the Capitol.