Trump officials vow to step up Los Angeles crackdown

Department of Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem pledged to liberate” Los Angeles yesterday at a press conference that was dramatically interrupted when federal agents dragged a Democratic US senator out of the room, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him.

- BRAD BROOKS LUC COHEN

Senator Alex Padilla of California was ejected after he tried to ask Ms Noem a question during her press conference in Los Angeles. Ms Noem said later Mr Padilla had not identified himself as a senator during the scuffle, but the video clearly shows him doing so.

Ms Noem, who later met with Mr Padilla and said the two agreed to talk further, was in the city after days of protests against federal immigration raids by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard and the marines, despite the objections of the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, and other officials, who say the move is unnecessary and illegal.

Mr Trump has defended his decision, saying if he had not done so the city would be in flames. The protests so far have been mostly peaceful, punctuated by incidents of violence and restricted to a few city blocks. The mayor of Los Angeles has also imposed a night-time curfew in parts of the city.

“We’re going to stay here and build our operations until we make sure we liberate the city of Los Angeles,” Ms Noem said.

In a statement, DHS said US Secret Service agents believed Mr Padilla was an “attacker” who did not comply with orders to back away. The video showed Mr Padilla being forced to lie on the ground in a corridor outside the press conference room by federal agents, who then handcuffed his hands behind his back.