BREAKING: US Sen. Padilla detained by Trump administration

ALSO INSIDE: Black colleges are also getting ‘the Harvard treatment’

Jun 12, 2025

Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky. And if you’re looking for a little more from the COURIER playlist, Akilah Hughes’ new series, “How is This Better?” just took down the broligarchy, and our docuseries “REPRESENT” follows Deja Foxx’s journey to take on the Democratic Party’s gerontocracy.

What Happened

California US Sen. Alex Padilla was handcuffed and detained by government agents during a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had Padilla violently removed for condemning violent acts that have taken place during the LA protests. Noem’s conference was heavily laced with militaristic language as she attempted to justify deploying armed soldiers against US civilians.

“We are not going away,” Noem said. “We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country and what they’ve tried to insert in this city.”

When Padilla started to speak, Noem got louder to drown him out until her agents were able to force him to the ground, handcuff him, and detain Padilla in another room. Reporters were ordered to stop filming, and NBC LA reporter Génesis Miranda Miramontes says the press was kicked out of the press conference shortly after.

This is the third time this week the Trump administration has used the force of the executive branch to intimidate elected officials who oppose them in any way. In addition to this attack against a sitting US Senator, Trump told his immigration enforcer, Tom Homan, to arrest Gov. Gavin Newsom, and on Tuesday, federal prosecutors indicted US Rep. LaMonica McIver on allegations that she assaulted federal officers who prevented her from accessing an ICE detention facility in her New Jersey district.

The escalations come days before Trump plans to hold a military parade on his birthday, that millions are expected to protest nationwide, joining a growing number of daily protests sparked by worksite raids by ICE agents.

Attempts to Sanewash

Far-Right Spin

California US Sen. Alex Padilla

Since taking office in 2021, Sen. Padilla has:

Seen his net worth increase from $240,000 to $282,000
Sponsored 399 bills
Authored 6 bills that have been signed into law
Consistently voted to address climate change, expand voter access, and protect abortion and immigrant rights
Introduced legislation to provide Puerto Rico a path to statehood

Fun Facts

Sen. Padilla was originally appointed to the US Senate to replace Kamala Harris when she was elected to be the US Vice President. He initially faced opposition from Black Californians, who wanted to retain their representation in Congress, but he won over a majority of the electorate and maintained his position in the 2022 election.

He was first introduced to the world of politics out of necessity in 1994, when California voters approved an anti-immigrant ballot measure, which severely limited access to healthcare, education, and other social services.

Prior to his time in Congress, Padilla was a member of the LA city council and a state senator, and he served as California’s secretary of state. His opposition to Trump’s anti-immigrant policies started there, where he refused to provide the administration with data on the state’s voters. The demand for voter data was an attempt by Trump to find evidence for his since-disproven claim that 3 to 5 million undocumented immigrants and other ineligible voters caused him to lose the popular vote in 2016.

During his time as secretary of state, Padilla was the subject of ire on multiple occasions. His enforcement of a law outlawing single-use plastic bags and a $35 million contract to a Democratic-aligned organization to help with voter outreach in the 2020 election drew heat from the entire political spectrum,

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Black colleges getting ‘the Harvard treatment’

The Trump administration’s battle with Harvard has been in the public eye for months as he’s tried—and so far, failed—a number of ways to strangle them financially. But they’re not the only higher education institutions he’s taking funding from.

Billy Ball, editor for COURIER’s North Carolina newsroom, Cardinal & Pine, has uncovered how Trump is siphoning money away from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Through the administration’s efforts to remove any federal programs that provide an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment for college students, HBCUs have lost millions in funding, and students reliant on scholarships and grants suddenly can’t afford their next semester.

Even broader efforts to demolish public education have a disproportionate impact on Black college students. Nearly three out of four HBCU students rely on Pell grants, as Ball has pointed out; if those go away, which the Trump administration has proposed, that would kick over 200,000 Black students out of college.

Make sure to watch the full breakdown on Instagram and TikTok, and check out the “Billy Ball Explains NC” newsletter for more jaw-dropping reporting like this.

Mile-long birthday parade sparks million-person protest

I went into detail about this yesterday, but I wanted to really drive home the importance of the “Now Kings” protests this Saturday. Even though the anniversary of the creation of the US Army coincided with Trump’s birthday all four years of his first term, this is the first time he’s using it as an excuse to throw himself a military parade.

The stakes are higher this time around, and the only thing that would hit harder than a small turnout in DC is a massive turnout everywhere else.

Around 200,000 people are expected to attend Trump’s knock-off version of a dictator’s military parade, but the real crowds will be on the other side of the fence. Nearly 2,000 “No Kings” protests are planned that day, according to Rolling Stone, and organizers say they expect more people to show up than the 3 million people who protested the Trump administration during the April “Hands Off” protests.

“No Kings” protests are taking place within driving distance of everyone in the country, and if turnout at these protests can penetrate Trump’s media bubble, it could send a message that could invigorate an otherwise apathetic populace while tempering further action by Trump.

That’s why, to maximize drawing attention from the parade, No Kings is purposefully not holding a protest in DC; they instead hope to draw attention away from Trump and to the hundreds of actions planned across the country. No Kings has created a number of resources for those looking to do something, including leadership and first-timer trainings, shareable social media assets, and a comprehensive map of every protest taking place on June 14th.

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