Overview

• Sen. Alex Padilla was escorted into a Los Angeles DHS press conference, identified himself as a senator, and was forcibly removed and handcuffed when he approached Secretary Noem’s podium to ask a question.
• Corey Lewandowski intervened during the scuffle, instructing agents to release Padilla and offering him a cup of coffee.
• Noem’s office and DHS maintain agents acted properly because Padilla did not announce himself in time, a claim Padilla and video recordings dispute.
• House Homeland Security Committee Democrats have called for an independent investigation and formal testimony from Noem about the altercation.
• Padilla and Democratic leaders have turned the incident into a fundraising and messaging campaign against Trump administration immigration policies, even as some strategists warn it may harden partisan divides.