Sen. Smith calls on Noem to resign after California Sen. Padilla is handcuffed during press conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/CNN) —  Sen. Alex Padilla of California said he had been attempting to ask a question when he was forcefully removed from a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles Thursday.

“I was there peacefully. At one point I had a question, and so I began to ask a question,” Padilla said in his first public remarks following the incident. “I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed. I was not arrested. I was not detained.”

He continued: “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine, what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.”

Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota is calling on Secretary Noem to resign.

“Secretary Noem needs to resign immediately. There is no justification for the disgusting way Senator Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed by FBI agents today. It is not illegal for a United States Senator to go to a public press conference and ask questions about your constituents’ safety. If this is how they treat a United States Senator, I’m scared to imagine how they are treating everyone else. This Administration needs to be held accountable for their gross abuse of power,”said Smith.

Padilla also urged people protesting the Trump administration’s enforcement actions to do so peacefully.

“There is a lot of concern, there is a lot of tension, there is a lot of anxiety, and a lot of people are beginning to make plans for what they or may or may not do come this Saturday,” Padilla said, adding: “I encourage everybody to please peacefully protest – just like I was calmly and peacefully listening in that press conference.”

No charges are currently planned against the senator, two law enforcement sources familiar with the incident told CNN.