They Came for a U.S. Senator. Who's Next?

California Senator Alex Padilla was arrested by ICE for asking questions. His Senate floor speech today should be a wake-up call for all of us.

Last week, FBI and Secret Service members arrested a sitting U.S. senator. Not for breaking the law, but for daring to question it.

His name is Alex Padilla. He represents California, and his “crime” was asking a question at a press conference. Trump and Noem’s minions quickly deployed their talking points, undoubtedly drafted in their “super secure no war plans” Signal chat, including greatest hits like he “looked aggressive”, he “lunged” at Noem, and that he was “unhinged.”

They also claimed Noem had no idea who he was; that he didn’t identify himself. When you watch the video (and here’s what was broadcast on television, for full context), you can see that he very clearly states who he is, that in no way did he lunge at Noem, and that the only ones looking unhinged were the officers forcing him to the ground and putting a sitting US Senator in handcuffs.

This is not normal.

This is not democracy.

And in a searing speech on the Senate floor today — his first public comments since being detained — Padilla made it clear: if this can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.

“They didn’t ask for my name. They didn’t care about my title. I was a brown man asking questions — and that was enough.”

The Arrest

Padilla was escorted by FBI and National Guard officials into Kristi Noem’s Homeland Security press conference in Fresno, where officials were touting the success of a recent ICE-led operation in California’s Central Valley. The operation — reportedly resulting in over 800 arrests — had drawn concern from local leaders who said they weren’t notified and that ICE was targeting immigrant-heavy neighborhoods indiscriminately.

Padilla showed up with a simple question: Why has there been an increase in the targeting of undocumented, long-term residents who are otherwise law-abiding, hardworking, and tax-paying.

He never got an answer.