Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee want their chair, Sen. Rand Paul, to hold a hearing on the Trump administration’s handling of the Los Angeles demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement and deportation activities.
In a new letter obtained by POLITICO, the Democrats are calling on the Kentucky Republican to request that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testify before lawmakers regarding the administration’s response to the ongoing protests in the L.A. area. President Donald Trump greeted the crowds protesting his immigration policies by ordering the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines — with California Gov. Gavin Newsom calling the use of military force “purposefully inflammatory” and the California state government quick to file a legal challenge.
It also comes a day after California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla was shoved to the floor and handcuffed by Noem’s security detail when he sought to interrupt a press conference the DHS secretary had convened to discuss the ongoing demonstrations.
“[T]he President has harmed public safety by federalizing a state’s National Guard against the wishes of the governor and sending them into a city whose law enforcement is already dealing with the protests,” the Democratic senators wrote to Paul. “We therefore call on you to immediately hold an oversight hearing with Administration officials … to provide answers regarding the administration’s dangerous and intentionally provocative actions.”
A spokesperson for Paul did not immediately return a request for comment, but it’s highly unlikely Republicans will engage with the Democrats’ ask: GOP senators are largely sympathetic to Trump’s immigration agenda and aren’t expected to be further moved by the incident involving Padilla, whom many Republicans accused of performing political theater.
Senate Homeland Committee ranking member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has separately asked to speak with Noem by phone after the episode with Padilla, according to a Peters aide, but said Noem has not yet responded.
