Congressman Raul Ruiz Speaks Out Against the Forceful Removal of Senator Padilla from Noem Press Conference

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) released the following statement responding to the forceful removal of Senator Padilla from Noem Press Conference:

“The assault on Senator Padilla is part of a continuing pattern of authoritarian, dictatorial behavior.

“[The authoritarian Trump Administration] goes into communities masked and in unmarked cars to disrupt restaurants and workplaces, to separate families, and people with no criminal backgrounds.

“They call in the National Guard without the consent or authority of the Governor of California. They bring in unprepared Marines, who are not trained in civil de-escalation tactics, and they come armed with weapons.

This is an outrage. This is authoritarian behavior spreading throughout the nation. It is a poison. It is a cancer. This has to end.

“We need to stand up, every one of us, as Americans, against this authoritarian dictatorship. Because if it’s not us today, it’s going to be you tomorrow. It’s going to be your neighborhood next.

“We are outraged at how they treated our Senator from California. Californians will stand with our Senator. I will stand with our Senator. We will fight until the very end, until this authoritarian regime is done and over.”

Click here for Congressman Ruiz’s video in English and Spanish, summarizing the march on Senator Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson’s offices, led by Congressman Ruiz and House Democrats, demanding answers on what they are doing to protect Senator Alex Padilla.