UNDATED-AP- California U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed after he interrupted a Los Angeles press conference on immigration by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He began shouting over her before he was removed from the room.
Noem says Padilla did not ask for a meeting with her and she criticized his interruption. “I think everybody in America would agree that that was inappropriate,” she said.
“Obviously we will have response,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the U.S. Capitol. “But I want to know the facts, find out exactly what happened.”
Justice Department instructs prosecutors to be ‘on standby’ in anticipation of more protests
In a message sent Thursday (June 12, 2025), a Justice Department official told U.S attorneys across the country to prioritize federal cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction.
The official said U.S. attorney’s office leadership “should be on standby” to monitor enforcement efforts and prepare to respond in in the event investigations are warranted, according to an email reviewed by The Associated Press.
The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property. The Justice Department official said U.S. attorney’s offices should “push out press releases whenever you file charges in these matters.”
In a statement, the Justice Department said it respects the right of peaceful protest “to engage on important issues,” but “will not tolerate unlawful violence” and “destruction of property.”
“We are prepared to respond accordingly,” the department said.
Newsom talks removal of Padilla
Gov. Newsom called the removal of Sen. Padilla from the press conference “outrageous” on a social media post.
“This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control,” he said. “This must end now.”
Sen. Padilla began shouting over Noem before he was removed
Noem says Padilla did not ask for a meeting with her and she criticized his interruption. “I think everybody in America would agree that that was inappropriate,” she said.
California Sen. Alex Padilla crashed Noem’s LA press conference
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristie Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The Democratic U.S. senator was forcibly removed from the room after he began speaking over her.
Kristi Noem calls some LA protests activity ‘un-American’
The Homeland Security secretary specifically highlighted the waving of Mexican flags by some protesters.
Some protesters have argued the flags are an expression of pride in one’s homeland, something they say couldn’t be more American.
Noem said that immigration authorities will continue to carry out arrests of people in the country illegally who have criminal records, and that protesters who engage in vandalism and violence will “face consequences.”
Protesters clash with security outside Tucson, Arizona, ICE office
Protesters confronted masked security officers outside an ICE office in Tucson on Wednesday, blocking a roadway, throwing balloons filled with paint at them and spray painting anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility.
Video clips show a security officer who was hit with a water bottle firing a less than lethal gun in response, masked protesters holding makeshift shields as they inch toward the security team, and a member of the security team setting off what appeared to be a flash-bang device.
At one point, a security officer sprayed a chemical irritant at protesters. A protester responded by firing an even larger volume of irritant at security officers. A protester then threw a barricade at security officer, though he missed. Security officers pulled back.
It’s unclear if the security officers were private security or federal agents. The Associated Press left messages with the Tucson Police Department and ICE’s operation in Arizona.
Dozens arrested in immigration protests in Pacific Northwest
Police in the Pacific Northwest made dozens of arrests at protests against the Trump administration’s military deployment in Los Angeles and immigration raids around the country.
Mayor Lisa Brown in Spokane, Washington, issued a curfew from 9 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday after hundreds of people showed up to protest the arrest of two men at a check-in with immigration officials after their work permits were revoked.
Spokane police said they arrested more than 30 people, mostly for pedestrian interference or similar charges.
In Seattle, officers made eight arrests after a small segment of an otherwise peaceful crowd of protesters set fire to a dumpster Wednesday night.
And in Portland, Oregon, three people were arrested after they started a small fire against an ICE building, police said.
The Spokane crowd tried to prevent a transport van from taking the two detained immigrants to the privately run Northwest immigration detention center in Tacoma. Among those arrested was former City Council President Ben Stuckart, who said he was the legal guardian of one of the detained men, Venezuelan asylum seeker Cesar Alexander Alvarez Perez, 21.
Alvarez Perez and Colombian Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres both had work visas and full-time jobs at a Walmart, Stuckart said. Stuckart accompanied them to appointments at the immigration office on Wednesday and put out a call for demonstrators after they were detained.
Police arrested another 81 people during LA protests, bringing the total to nearly 470
The 81 arrests on Wednesday and through the night were largely for failing to leave the area in defiance of law enforcement’s orders, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a press release Thursday.
Two people were arrested for assaulting a police officer with a weapon, and another for resisting arrest.
Since Saturday, there have been nearly 470 arrests in the city as part of the protests, and at least nine officers received injuries, most of which were minor
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