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raids targeting non-criminal migrants,'the administration deployed National Guard troops to Los <br /> Angeles—against the will of California's Governor—to silence protestors.s <br /> Understandably, the people of California are outraged. Senator Padilla was doing his job when he <br /> attempted to communicate their outrage to Secretary Noem and ask questions about the <br /> administration's brazen actions in the State. Unfortunately, despite being brought into the <br /> briefing room by law enforcement, being identified by law enforcement in the room, and clearly <br /> identifying himself, Senator Padilla was shoved out of the room, tackled to the ground, and <br /> ultimately handcuffed.' It was a mortifying display for the Department and for the country. <br /> Secretary Noem was present and aware of what was happening and at no point attempted to <br /> intervene. She later gave the excuse that no one in the room recognized the Senator, which we <br /> know is not true. <br /> If it was true that neither the Secretary nor anyone who works for her was able to identify one of <br /> the two Senators of a State in which her Department is executing widespread immigration raids, <br /> she should take responsibility and apologize for the fact their ignorance resulted in the Senator <br /> being treated as a criminal. Instead, the Secretary has been slandering the Senator, falsely <br /> suggesting that he never identified himself and that he lunged at her. Video footage of the <br /> incident demonstrates both accusations to be patently false.' Nevertheless, the Trump <br /> administration continues to parrot these lies to malign Senator Padilla and distract the public <br /> from the authoritarian tactics the President is using to attempt to silence dissent. It is <br /> frighteningly consistent with how the Trump administration treats all of those it views as political <br /> opponents. <br /> In addition to suggesting she did not know Senator Padilla, Secretary Noem also punted <br /> questions on how the Senator was assaulted to law enforcement.' At least some of the law <br /> enforcement agencies to which she refers, however, are housed within her agency, and the buck <br /> is supposed to stop with Secretary Noem. She has an obligation to understand, own, and correct <br /> the mistreatment of Senator Padilla. <br /> It is important to note that the issue we need to raise with Secretary Noem goes beyond the <br /> treatment of one Senator. What happened to Senator Padilla was completely unacceptable, and it <br /> is part of the Trump administration's assault on American democracy. If this is how the <br /> administration treats a United States Senator in full public view, imagine what it would do to <br /> Americans behind closed doors. <br /> 4 See Maanvi Singh,Families Arrested in LA ICE Raids Held in Basements with Little Food or Water, Lawyers Say, <br /> THE GUARDIAN(Jun. 11,2025), https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/la-ice-raids-immigration- <br /> conditions. <br /> 'See Andrew Gumbel, Troops and Marines Deeply Troubled by LA Deployment: Morale Is Not Great,'THE <br /> GUARDIAN(Jun. 12,2025),https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/12/los-angeles-national-guard-troops- <br /> marines-morale. <br /> 6 Shawn Hubler,et al., California Senator Forcible Removed and Handcuffed After Interrupting Noem, N.Y.TIMES <br /> (Jun. 12,2025),https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/us/politics/senator-alex-padilla-handcuffed.ht". <br /> 'Id. <br /> 'Nik Popli,Democratic Senator Slammed to the Ground and Handcuffed at Kristi Noem Event in LA, TIME(Jun. <br /> 12,2025),https://time.com/7293667/alex-padilla-noem-los-angeles/. <br />