Senator Sheldon Whitehouse triggered backlash after comparing the recent arrest of Sen. Alex Padilla to the struggles of civil rights hero John Lewis. The statement followed Padilla’s dramatic removal from a DHS press conference in Los Angeles, where he interrupted Secretary Kristi Noem during remarks on immigration enforcement.
Padilla was restrained by federal agents after refusing to identify himself and allegedly pushing toward the podium. The incident, captured on video, showed agents forcing Padilla to the ground and placing him in handcuffs. He later accused the agency of “authoritarian theater.”
Whitehouse circulated a side-by-side photo comparing Padilla’s takedown to Lewis’s 1960s confrontation with police. Critics called the comparison offensive and politically opportunistic. Rep. Burgess Owens condemned it as a “cheap, woke insult,” while Rep. Andrew Clyde labeled the move “shameful.”
Federal officials stated that Padilla had not coordinated his visit and escalated the confrontation by physically approaching the stage. DHS maintained the arrest was a standard response to an unverified threat during a sensitive security event.
Top Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Cory Booker quickly defended Padilla, framing the event as evidence of federal overreach. The clash comes amid broader tensions over ICE raids and recent confrontations involving other Democrat officials nationwide.
