Dems demand House GOP leaders ‘uphold the dignity’ of Congress after senator was cuffed and removed

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) called for Republican leaders to “uphold the dignity” of Congress after Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was cuffed and removed from a press conference where he charged DHS Secretary Kristi Noem last week.

In a Monday letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Majority Leader Mike Johnson (R-LA) that was signed by more than 180 Democrat lawmakers, the CHC decried the “deeply troubling mistreatment” of Padilla and suggested that the incident was “a constitutional issue” rather than security acting to protect a top government official from a raving lunatic.

Democrats have rallied around Padilla, who showed up at Noem’s presser in Los Angeles, where she was answering questions about the anti-ICE riots, ginning up the outrage when the senator was clearly in the wrong by aggressively advancing on the DHS chief before he was forcibly escorted out of the room.

BREAKING: California Democratic Senator @AlexPadilla4CA just crashed DHS Secretary Noem’s press conference in LA and was forcibly removed. pic.twitter.com/Q2sUWiImAM

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 12, 2025

“Senator Padilla clearly identified himself and was acting within his rights as a Member of Congress. The use of force against a sitting senator—in a federal building, during official business—is a grave breach of protocol,” the letter read.

“It is also a potential violation of separation of powers and raises alarming questions about the conduct of federal law enforcement agencies, the coordination of protective services, and the administration’s posture toward congressional oversight,” the CHC claimed.

“This unprecedented incident is not simply an affront to security protocol—it is a constitutional issue—as these actions may constitute an assault on a sitting senator. If members of the United States Senate can be physically restrained for seeking answers from executive officials, it sets a dangerous precedent for the independence of the legislative branch,” the Democrats wrote, calling for Thune and Johnson to take “swift and decisive action to uphold the dignity and authority of Congress.”

The letter did not clarify what the Democrats meant by “swift and decisive action to uphold the dignity and authority of Congress,” a vague phrase that is open to interpretation.

Last week, the CHC staged a PR stunt by marching to the GOP congressional leaders to demand an investigation into “the assault” on Padilla.

@HispanicCaucus leads march to @LeaderJohnThune @SpeakerJohnson demanding an investigation into the assault on @SenAlexPadilla. We need answers and we need them now! pic.twitter.com/9Jnne1XswA

— Congressional Hispanic Caucus (@HispanicCaucus) June 12, 2025

The treatment of Padilla was a logical reaction from security at a time of heightened danger to government officials, largely due to Democrat incitement, which has whipped up the worst and most unstable elements of the party’s base.

“A sitting member of Congress should not act like that. It is beneath a member of Congress. It is beneath a U.S. Senator. They’re supposed to lead by example. And that is not a good example. We have to turn the temperature down in this country and not escalate it. The Democrat Party is on the wrong side. They are defending lawbreakers and now they are acting like lawbreakers themselves,” Speaker Johnson said last week.