Democratic US Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on Thursday and placed in handcuffs. As per the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Noem was giving an update on immigration enforcement after nearly a week of protests in the city, when Senator Padilla interrupted and started shouting a question.

"I'm Senator Alex Padilla," he said as he was confronted by authorities. "I have questions for the secretary!" Video of the incident shows the senator struggling with multiple Secret Service agents before being shoved out of the room and dragged away, before uniformed FBI agents placed him on the ground and arrested him. 

Democratic members of Congress called the arrest a "sickening disgrace" and an "affront to democracy". LA Mayor Karen Bass called it "absolutely abhorrent and outrageous", adding that Trump administration's "violent attacks on our city must end". Some Republicans also condemned the incident. "It's horrible," Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters. "It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know." In a video posted later in the day, Padilla said he "couldn't accept the rhetoric anymore" and so tried to interject with a question.

Padilla said, "I'm OK. But if they can do that to me, a United States senator... what are they doing to a lot of folks out there when the cameras are not on? What we've seen here should not be normalized.” The Trump administration accused Padilla of "disrespectful political theatre". The Department of Homeland Security said Padilla lunged at Secretary Noem and was told to back away.