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Federal agents forcibly eradicated Sen. Alex Padilla from a press conference held by Location of delivery Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday in Los Angeles, taking him to the floor and handcuffing him, in maintaining with the California Democrat’s place of work and videos posted on-line.

The incident caused Democratic lawmakers to demand an investigation, including Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, who on the floor acknowledged the videos “sickened my stomach.”

One video from the click conference, where Noem became once talking about efforts to “liberate” Los Angeles from at-times violent protests in the previous week, shows unnamed officers pushing Padilla out of the room whereas he’s making an try to focus on.

Padilla would possibly perchance perchance nicely be heard figuring out himself as a U.S. senator, announcing that he had questions for Noem and telling the officers to grab their fingers off him. Noem persevered to focus on as Padilla became once forced out of the room.

A second video shows Padilla being forced to the floor and handcuffed. A figure off show says that no recording is allowed in the set.

A command from Padilla’s place of work acknowledged that he became once in California as section of his congressional oversight tasks and became once in the building to receive a briefing from Gen. Gregory Guillot of the U.S. Northern Picture, who has been commanding the Marine deployment in L.A.

The command acknowledged that Padilla then went to Noem’s press conference. “He tried to ask the Secretary a quiz, and became once forcibly eradicated by federal agents, forced to the floor and handcuffed. He is now not at show detained, and we are working to get hang of extra records,” the command acknowledged.

Padilla’s elimination and apparent detention come amid President Donald Trump’s threats to make direct of the Rebellion Act in maintaining with protests over Trump’s immigration raids in L.A.

Trump has already deployed several hundred Marines to the metropolis and federalized thousands of individuals of the California Nationwide Guard over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom and California leaders, who pronounce the deployments most productive enflamed tensions over Trump’s immigration protection.

On the floor Thursday, Schumer criticized the “manhandling of a United States senator, we wish rapid answers as to what the hell went on.”

“What took home reeks — reeks — of totalitarianism. Here is now not what democracies carry out,” Schumer acknowledged.

Schumer acknowledged that Padilla became once at the tournament legally and making an try to get hang of answers about what the administration had been doing in Los Angeles.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., furthermore condemned the circulation in a floor speech.

“What occurs when it occurs to a Republican? Will I hear from my Republican colleagues then?” Luján acknowledged. “Will somebody right here non-public the backbone to issue the president of the United States you non-public got crossed a line, stop it?”

Newsom defended Padilla in an announcement on social media Thursday. “Here is atrocious, dictatorial, and wrong. Trump and his shock troops are out of assist an eye on. This must stop now,” Newsom acknowledged.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued an announcement Thursday furthermore condemning the detention of Padilla.

“Here is unacceptable, elephantine stop. @SenAlexPadilla attended an commence press conference to non-public interaction in debate, to shriek his assert, to carry out his job. We set a question to a elephantine investigation and consequences for every official taking into consideration this assault in opposition to a sitting US senator,” the command acknowledged.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged journalists that it’s “laborious to inform the justification.”

“But I don’t know what took home ahead of” the video, Collins acknowledged.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., urged journalists Padilla “obtained what he wished. He’s on video.”

“While you come to my press conference, it be foremost to be respectful. While you’re the click, which that you just would possibly perchance perchance well inquire from me questions in record for you to wait on. Gorgeous, but he obtained what he wished,” Graham acknowledged. “What he desires to be doing, in my take a look at out, is making certain that we non-public rational immigration policies. And Senator Padilla, who’s a great man, sat on the sidelines for four years, watched the border fully be blown aside, folks coming by the hundreds of thousands, and it’s increasing complications for our country.”

Chris Johnson and Sandhya Raman contributed to this file.