Southern California lawmakers largely condemned the actions of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials after California’s U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Los Angeles press conference held by Noem on Thursday, June 12.

“@SenAlexPadilla represents the best of the Senate,” Sen. Adam Schiff wrote on X. “The disgraceful and disrespectful conduct of DHS agents, pushing and shoving him out of a briefing like that, demands our condemnation. He will not be silenced or intimidated. His questions will be answered. I’m with Alex.”

Padilla identified himself and said “I have questions for the secretary” as he was pushed out of the room by multiple people, a video circulating on X shows.

Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly reacted, condemning the incident.

“If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you,” the governor wrote in a caption on Instagram.

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“This administration is out of control!” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn wrote in a statement. “They are shoving to the ground and handcuffing a United States Senator. The entire Trump Administration is unhinged. Senator Padilla is just as much of the Federal Government as they are.”

“The Trump Administration is abusing their power. They are using force on immigrants, their family members, and now on a sitting Senator. Senator Padilla wasn’t interfering with one of their operations. This was at a staged press conference in front of the cameras — all for show,” Hahn continued.

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, took to X on Thursday afternoon with questions about the situation.

“So where was the Senate Sgt at Arms entrusted to protect United States Senators?” he posted on the social platform.

“Senator Padilla, arrested?,” a separate post from Rep. Correa reads. “A US Senator arrested for what, asking the DHS Sec questions at a press conference, for invoking his first amendment right? Was he violent? Was he armed? Was he threatening? His job is to ask questions. Congress has oversight, yes?”

Rep. Derek Tran, D-Orange, asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about the incident during a Thursday afternoon congressional hearing, a video posted by C-SPAN on X shows.

“Is this how you would treat a member of Congress who attends your press event, whether invited or not?” he asked.

“I’ve been here for 5 hours, sir, I don’t know about that,” Hegseth replied.

“The Trump administration and his minions are continuing the violence in our communities,” Rep. Norma Torres D-Ontario said in a video posted to her social platforms. “And now, they just arrested a US senator for simply trying to ask a question.”

@ntorres35

The Trump administration and his minions are trying to silence dissent. We will not backdown, we will continue to expose their incompetence, corrupt and illegal actions against #California and our residents. #Resist #LosAngeles #immigrants Be a witness, take notes, pictures and videos. We are united in this fight for #Democracy #ruleoflaw

♬ original sound – NormaTorresCampaign

Padilla was not arrested or detained, he later said, speaking to reporters. After the removal, 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.

“Completely despicable actions by DHS, having @SenAlexPadilla being forcibly taken down,” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, wrote on X. “Why is @SecNoem afraid of answering questions?”

Several other Southern California congressmembers took to X to express outrage.

“A Senator being treated like a criminal for asking questions about Trump’s disgraceful ICE raids is an attack on every American’s freedom,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, wrote on X. “The FBI are not the president’s secret police.”

“They threw a sitting Latino U.S. Senator to the ground and handcuffed him,” Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-San Pedro, posted on X. “If this is how they treat someone with a title and a platform, imagine what they’re doing to undocumented members of our community with neither. This is about power. And fear. And abuse.”

“Senator Padilla has been my friend for over two decades,” Rep. Mike Levin,  D-San Juan Capistrano, wrote on X. “He is as decent and honorable a public servant as I know, and an example of the American dream. I stand with him as we seek accountability and transparency from the Trump Administration.”

President Donald Trump and Southern California’s Republican congressmembers had largely stayed quiet on the matter as of midday Thursday.

“I support the work that @Sec_Noem and ICE are doing to enforce our immigration laws and remove criminal illegals from our country,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, posted on X Thursday afternoon.