Alejandro Padilla, the senior United States Senator from California, is a great hero.
His life is turned upside down today after the June 12, 2025 press conference of the United States Department of Homeland Security. This is the greatest tragedy yet in the era of the second Trump Administration.
Alejandro, or otherwise Alex Padilla, is the Senator from California in the United States Senate, representing California in the Federal United States Senate alongside the junior US Senator, Adam Schiff.
The Constitutional history of the United States is very unique to the world, partially because of the United States' escape from the United Kingdom of Great Britain in the era of the First British Empire being highly unique and leading to the emergence of the era of the "Second British Empire."
The United States Constitution is defined by three words uttered first in French in a book by Baron De Montesqieu in the French Enlightenment: "Separation of Powers."
The characteristic definitions applied to society in the ideals of the enlightenment are "civil liberty" and "personal freedom."
The definition of "civil liberty" is often read as is defined by Merriam Webster as: "freedom from arbitrary interference in one's speech or actions by other individuals or by the government especially as constitutionally guaranteed.”
The definition of "Personal Freedom" is defined by Merriam Webster as: "freedom of the person in going and coming, equality before the courts, security of private property, freedom of opinion and its expression, and freedom of conscience subject to the rights of others and of the public."
“Separation of powers,” another definition, is often defined by Merriam Webster as: "the doctrine under which the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government are not to infringe upon each other's constitutionally vested powers."
Another important definition is the doctrine of the "nondelegation doctrine" found in our United States' Constitution and the federal laws of the United States.
This definition in Merriam Webster reads: "a doctrine that Congress may not delegate its duties under the Constitution to other branches of government without violating the principle of separation of powers."
The FBI attacked Padilla as soon as he identified himself as a sitting United States Senator, as soon as he came, unexpectedly, without prior announcement, to some specific meeting where DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was at the time speaking inside of the U.S. Federal Detention Center in Los Angeles, a federal holding facility in downtown Los Angeles, California.
That building now is holding facility for immigration-law-related crimes. Padilla was lawfully permitted to enter the building, but because he came to a certain meeting without a prior announcement, that set off the DHS and FBI agents who were guarding it when federal troops were deployed to suppress a protest.
How could this really happen?
This is tragic. The Senator from California, Padilla, identified himself, and, just because he did not set a prior announcement before entering of the meeting, they attacked him. This contravenes First Amendment rights!
People do not need to be attacked by guards! Especially when nobody had any prior warrant for his arrest locally, statewide, or federally in court!
What Padilla could do now is to say "see you in court" and will be correct to sue. He had his First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights violated.
Padilla is an American who did not need his rights violated. To paraphrase a quote from the senator: "If it happened to me, it could happen to you."
John Emmerich is a Northsider.
