The Hills view of yesterday
Tensions between the White House and California escalated Thursday when security forced Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) to the floor and handcuffed him at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, a federal appeals court late Thursday temporarily lifted a judge’s order ruling President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to assist in sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids illegal.
Padilla was forcibly removed from the room after trying to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about ICE raids in the city that have sparked large-scale protests in recent days. Noem on Thursday vowed to keep up ICE arrests in LA and other cities across the country.
Padilla identified himself as a senator and began asking Noem a question before the altercation. Several men pushed the California Democrat out of the room and later handcuffed him on the ground.
“I attended Secretary Noem’s press conference in hopes of getting some answers. After identifying myself and trying to ask a question, I was aggressively pushed out of the room, forced to the ground, and handcuffed,” Padilla later said in a statement. “If that’s what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable.”
Padilla noted he was not arrested or detained, despite being handcuffed. The senator denied the Trump administration’s claims that he lunged at Noem during the news conference.
The incident prompted immediate outcry from Democrats and a number of Republicans.
Multiple congressional Democrats called on Noem to resign, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) denounced the incident.
“I just saw something that sickened my stomach. The manhandling of a United States senator. We need immediate answers to what the hell went on,” he said on the Senate floor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who earlier in the week dared the administration to arrest him amid their feud over the president’s National Guard deployment in LA, said in a post on the social platform X that Padilla “is one of the most decent people I know.”
“This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful,” he added. “Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the video of Padilla being handcuffed was “shocking at every level. It’s not the America I know.”
The White House, meanwhile, said the Democratic senator wanted attention. Noem said Padilla’s behavior was “completely inappropriate” and “not becoming” of a public official.
▪ The Hill: Democrats seethe after Padilla was forcibly removed from Noem’s press conference.
▪ The Hill: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday said Padilla should be censured.
▪ CNN: The Trump administration on Thursday told hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela that their legal status through a Biden-era parole program is terminated.
The clash punctuated days of tension and debate over Trump’s immigration crackdown and a growing legal battle over the limits of the president’s efforts to deploy National Guard members and Marines to an American city.
A federal appeals court panel late Thursday temporarily lifted a judge’s order ruling Trump’s deployment of the National Guard illegal, enabling the troops to remain assisting with immigration raids in Los Angeles, for now. The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals landed mere hours after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ordered the president to return control of the troops to Newsom by today at Noon Pacific time.
Meanwhile, the military said that by tonight, roughly 700 active-duty Marines were expected to join 2,100 National Guard troops that have been guarding federal property and personnel in Los Angeles. The commander overseeing the military operations said on Wednesday that the Marines were at a naval base south of the city, and that 2,000 additional Guard troops had begun training on Thursday, The New York Times reported.
As protests roil Los Angeles, Newsom is doing what Democrats want: punching back against the administration while on the offensive about immigration and executive power controversies.
“While it’s been a horrible week for the country, Gov. Newsom has been a credible voice of so many people’s discontent and anxiety about Trump’s America,” Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons told The Hill’s Amie Parnes. “Democrats want people who can take on Donald Trump and he is seen as someone who has been taking him on.”
As protests against ICE raids continue, Newsom is giving speeches, interviews and using social media, including with The New York Times’s “The Daily” podcast. The Times dissected his remarks in a separate article.
The Atlantic: The protesters gathered in downtown LA are a microcosm of the Democratic coalition that has dominated the city for decades.
“NO KINGS”: Beyond LA, a number of “No Kings” demonstrations are expected this weekend nationwide to coincide with a Saturday military parade in Washington, D.C., to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday. When asked to respond to the protests, Trump quipped: “I don’t feel like a king; I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”
▪ BBC: What to expect at Trump’s military parade and “No Kings” protests. ▪ The Hill: Here are five things to know about Trump’s $45 million Washington, D.C., military parade on Saturday. (Afternoon rain is in the forecast.)
