- Senator Padilla is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
- He identified himself as a Senator
- Right before this happened Noem literally said she was there to liberate Los Angeles from its elected leadership
"He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed."
Padilla is the top Dem on the Senate Judiciary immigration subcommittee -- there's no way Noem (who meets regularly with senators on this topic) didn't know who he is.