Handcuffed Democrats become symbol of Trump's crackdown on dissent
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Sen. Alex Padilla is removed from a press conference led byDepartment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on June 12 in Los Angeles, CA. Photo: Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
A string of Democratic officials' arrests and clashes involving federal agents has sent a message about the way the administration responds to dissent: with force, or the threat of it.
The big picture: Critics say the Tuesday arrest of New York City comptroller Brad Lander was the latest example of the administration backing force in the face of immigration-related dissent.
- The Department of Homeland Security said Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer, though Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was her understanding any charges against him had been dropped.
- But Raha Wala, the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at the National Immigration Law Center, said it was one moment "in a series of absurd overreactions to the very simple notion that people should have their day in court."
Driving the news: Images of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Lander being handcuffed and Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) facing a federal indictment crystalized burgeoning fears among Democrats about Trump's willingness to sidestep norms to crush dissent.
- Padilla's forceful removal from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference earlier this month was kerosene on escalating tensions over Trump's federalization of the National Guard in response to the Los Angeles protests without the state's consent.
- American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said the administration's movement of troops "absolutely is an abuse of power."
Friction point: The jarring images of Democrats' detainments and removals correspond to what Wala said is "an even more jarring reality."
- He argues the administration is pursuing an "unprecedented authoritarian playbook ... on the backs of immigrant communities."
- Wala sees a "completely unprecedented and un-American assault on basic due process rights" that has started "in the immigration context but ... won't end there."
The other side: White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson questioned in a statement to Axios why "so many Democrat officials feel emboldened to brazenly break the law and ... complain when they are held accountable."
- She said Democrats who have been removed or arrested are "disingenuously characterizing their behavior with the help of the Fake News media."
What they're saying: "The disturbing incident in Los Angeles reflects this administration's alarming tendency to use federal officers to squelch dissenting voices," writes Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice's Washington, D.C. office.
- "An unabashed government stamping out dissent through force ignores the commitment to unfettered political discourse that defines American law and traditions," he wrote.
Zoom out: A common issue area threads the arrests, removals and protests: the administration's aggressive deportation tactics.
- In Lander's case, he was arrested while attempting escort a defendant out of immigration court, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement has surged courthouse arrests.
- Similarly, Baraka's arrest came during a conflict at an ICE detention center in May that also involved three House Democrats.
- While the trespassing charge Baraka faced was dropped, Rep. LaMonica McIver was later charged with assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement. She plans to plead not guilty.
- And Trump earlier this month suggested Gov. Gavin Newsom should be next. Newsom, in response, characterized Trump's comment as "an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
Go deeper: Unrestrained Trump flirts with Insurrection Act as Marines deploy to L.A.
