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yesterday

Sen. Padilla’s Removal From DHS Briefing Prompts Congressional Probe

A bipartisan effort to investigate the handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla reflects concern over executive authority in congressional oversight

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U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) walks to the Senate Chambers at the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. Padilla has returned to the U.S. Capitol with a bigger security detail and is set to make a speech on the Senate Floor, where he will discuss his removal from a news conference being held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after trying to ask a question.
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Overview

  • Sen. Alex Padilla was blocked by security, forced to the ground and handcuffed during a DHS press conference in Los Angeles after he identified himself and sought to question Secretary Kristi Noem.
  • More than 200 Democrats, led by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune calling the incident a potential violation of separation of powers.
  • Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Padilla’s behavior and indicated he supports censuring the California senator while Majority Leader John Thune pledged to gather information and open an investigation.
  • On the Senate floor, Padilla recounted being pushed, pulled and marched down a hallway in handcuffs without explanation, and he questioned the implications for legislative independence.
  • DHS officials maintain that Padilla did not immediately identify himself and resisted law enforcement, intensifying debate over lawmakers’ rights to access executive events.