Overview

• Video shows Padilla being seized and handcuffed after approaching DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s podium, despite identifying himself as a U.S. senator and being escorted in by a National Guard member and an FBI agent.
• DHS officials allege Padilla interrupted the briefing without identifying himself and “lunged” at Noem, a claim refuted by footage and testimonies from multiple senators.
• Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Adam Schiff, have condemned Padilla’s treatment as an abuse of power and are demanding an investigation into federal agents’ conduct.
• Republican responses are split, with Sen. Rand Paul opposing Padilla’s censure and Speaker Mike Johnson calling his conduct worthy of formal rebuke.
• President Trump’s federalization of California’s National Guard was upheld by a federal appeals court ruling, keeping hundreds of troops in Los Angeles as protests over immigration raids persist.