Senator Alex Padilla appeared to have been arrested by officers in Los Angeles on June 12, 2025. The incident happened just as Padilla tried asking a question for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. As Americans are all aware, L.A. has been in an uproar over recent ICE raids and immigration protests, as Donald Trump‘s administration implements its strict rules.
Padilla’s team responded to the incident that day in a statement. According to The Guardian, it read, “Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California. He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference. He tried to ask the secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed.”
So, was the senator actually arrested? Find out what happened below.
Senator Alex Padilla was thrown to the ground and arrested after trying to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference related to immigration. pic.twitter.com/R7kGkA99a0
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 12, 2025
Who Is Alex Padilla?
Padilla is a Democratic senator from California and an outspoken critic of Trump. He has held his senior U.S. senator seat in the state since 2021. Prior to this, Padilla served as California’s Secretary of State from 2015 to 2021.
Born and raised in L.A., Padilla’s parents moved to the City of Angels from Mexico.
Why Was Senator Padilla Arrested?
Padilla appeared to have been arrested because he was physically removed and handcuffed during an L.A. DHS press conference, multiple outlets reported. The department, however, claimed that Padilla “did not comply” with the officers around him, and so, they removed him.
“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” the DHS wrote in an X statement. “@SecretService thought he was an attacker, and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting.”
Before he was forced out of the building, the California senator was heard saying, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” according to multiple outlets. He was then grabbed by officers and was heard yelling, “Hands off!”
BREAKING: Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., speaks out after being forcibly removed and cuffed from DHS Sec. Noem’s press conference. pic.twitter.com/3yZWDPYICl
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 12, 2025
After the incident, Padilla told a group of reporters, “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the DHS responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers, throughout the L.A. community and throughout California and throughout the country. We will hold this administration accountable. We’ll have more to say in the coming days.”
Is Alex Padilla in Jail?
No, Padilla is not in jail, but viral videos of him being handcuffed caused widespread confusion over the DHS’ response to him asking a question.