Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to "liberate" Los Angeles on Thursday at a press conference that was dramatically interrupted when federal agents dragged a Democratic U.S.

Senator Alex Padilla of California on Thursday was forcibly removed and handcuffed after interrupting a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a startling episode that deepened partisan tensions over the Trump Administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was unable to get off his a question for Secretary Kristi Noem when officials shoved him out of the room as he screamed “hands off!”. In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, then-California Secretary of State Padilla speaks in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) AP

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a forceful press conference today in Los Angeles, addressing the escalating anti-ICE protests in California and outlining a robust federal response to what she described as unacceptable violence and lawlessness.