Sen. Alex Padilla forcibly removed from Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference
Sen. Alex Padilla forcibly removed from Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference
California’s U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials Thursday morning.
“I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” the Democratic senator said as he was being pushed out of the room by multiple people.
It was not immediately clear if Padilla was arrested or detained.
Noem continued to speak from the federal building on the westside of Los Angeles, several miles from downtown Los Angeles where the large immigration protests have been taking place, saying federal immigration enforcement efforts are going to continue in the area.
“We are not going away,” Noem said. “We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and this mayor have placed on this country and this city.”
Noem alleged that federal buildings were surrounded by more than 1,000 “violent rioters” on Friday night, adding that it took LAPD more than two hours to respond.
“So we are going to continue to operate with our federal partners and continue to keep asking the governor and the mayor for their support and their backup in these operations to make sure that all of our law enforcement officers are protected while they do their work,” she said.
“We’re going to protect American cities from lawlessness, and we’ll do what it takes to put American citizens first,” she said.
When later asked about Padilla, Noem said “he can reach out” to have a conversation. But she said she will “visit with the senator to find out what his concerns are.”
Noem also said she has left voicemails for Newsom who has not returned her calls.
About a dozen journalists who showed up to cover the administration’s press conference were not allowed to enter Thursday morning.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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