Tennis legend Martina Navratilova fired back at the U.S. government’s claims that Senator Alex Padilla’s removal during a Department of Homeland Security press briefing was due to him ‘lunging’ at Secretary Kristi Noem. Padilla was placed in handcuffs, prompting backlash on Capitol Hill.
Democratic Sen. Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed by DHS agents during a press conference led by Secretary Noem in Los Angeles. Padilla attempted to question Noem about immigration enforcement and identified himself as “Senator Alex Padilla.”
DHS said agents did not recognize him and labeled his actions disruptive, alleging he “lunged” toward the podium. Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants, was later released without charges and reaffirmed that his intent was merely to ask questions.
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The removal sparked criticism. American political strategist and political commentator Symone D. Sanders Townsend called out the government on X.
"The government is saying the senator “lunged” at the Secretary and did not identify himself. We have a video where we can see and hear the opposite," she wrote.
American tennis icon, Martina Navratilova, who frequently critiques the US Government, sarcastically added:
"He lunged with his vocal cords threatening Noem!!!!"
Padilla is a leading Democrat on the Senate’s Border Security subcommittee. After the incident, he said he attended the event to learn "new additional information" and encouraged peaceful protests against Trump-era policies.
In Los Angeles, protests over recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and federal deployments are taking place. Marchers have gathered downtown near City Hall and a federal detention center, though about 470 arrests occurred for curfew violations. The National Guard and Marines remain deployed as legal battles proceed.
Martina Navratilova alleges that Donald Trump will declare a "national emergency" after anti-ICE LA protests
Donald Trump came into power for the second time as the US President in November 2024. Since then, several of his policies have received backlash from Martina Navratilova and others.
Recently, with the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, the former tennis icon alleged that Trump will use it to declare a national emergency and cancel elections.
"Exactly what trump is doing - provoking, escalating, creating chaos and then will attack the demonstrators, which will cause more demonstrations until he declares a national emergency, martial law and cancels elections. And here we are," Navratilova wrote on X.
Navratilova has frequently criticized the US President, but she also stated that she had no personal enmity with the 78-year-old. She stated that she hates his policies.
