Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) condemned the Trump administration for cracking down on his free speech rights after he was removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and handcuffed.
Footage from the incident shows Padilla identifying himself as a senator and pushing forward and saying he wished to ask a question, only to be pushed back by security, thrown through double doors, and then forced to the floor and handcuffed.
“At one point I had a question. And let me emphasize, just emphasize the right for people to peacefully protest and to stand up for their First Amendment rights, for our fundamental rights. I was there peacefully. At one point I had a question, and so I began to ask a question,” he said at his own press conference after the incident.
“I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed.”
Padilla said that though he was handcuffed, he was not arrested or detained.
At that point, he became emotional.
“I will say this: If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, I can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said.
“We will hold this administration accountable.”
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