WASHINGTON - SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Rocío Sáenz issued the following statement in response to Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) being violently assaulted by federal officers after questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference on Thursday afternoon:

“Senator Alex Padilla is a hero who was rightfully demanding answers about the militarized raids on immigrant communities when he was violently pushed to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents. The assault on Senator Padilla, a champion for working people in California and across the country, is an assault on our democracy. It should alarm us all.”

“This isn’t normal. People have the right to express themselves without the fear of getting brutally detained and handcuffed. Authoritarianism looks like exactly what happened to Senator Padilla. It also looks like a graduate student being abducted by masked agents for expressing a view that is different from this administration. The military being weaponized to silence people who are responding to Trump’s cruel immigration policy that’s ripping families apart. Individuals disappeared from our communities only to be imprisoned in foreign countries without due process. Leaders being assaulted and detained by federal agents when they stand up for the rights of others, like our courageous union brother David Huerta.”

“Working people of all races and backgrounds demand answers and accountability. We will not stop fighting until justice is served and our democracy is restored.”

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