Padilla handcuffing ignites firestorm on Capitol Hill as Democrats demand action

Published June 13, 2025 7:30am ET



A firestorm erupted on Capitol Hill after federal agents on Thursday handcuffed and took Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) to the floor after he interrupted a Homeland Security press briefing. 

Democrats have decried the incident as an unwarranted “manhandling,” while Republicans and the White House argue Padilla’s outburst was a political stunt that should serve as a sign “to turn the temperature down.”

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