During an interview Sunday on MS NOW with Ali Velshi, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) called out the Trump administration on their lawlessness and attempts at voter suppression, noting that new Republican-backed election proposals are designed to keep the party in power rather than to protect election integrity.
Padilla remarked on the brutal killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti—two U.S. citizens who were shot and killed by federal agents while monitoring immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis. Velshi described them as “patriots” who were exercising their constitutional rights, and noted that Padilla himself had been tackled by federal agents while attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question at a press conference last year.
Padilla said the incidents reflected what he called a broader pattern of abuse and disorder under the administration.
“We’ve got to keep calling it out for what it is,” he said, stating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has become “out of control” under President Donald Trump. He pointed to what he described as inhumane detention conditions, including the treatment of children in custody, and a mass deportation agenda marked by “abuse, cruelty, and violence.”
Padilla also tied the controversy to the ongoing partial government shutdown, centered on funding for the DHS. He called the situation a “complete failure” by Noem and said it ultimately reflected the president’s inept leadership.
Padilla Describes The SAVE Act As ‘Absolutely Un-American’
The conversation then turned to voting rights and the Republican-backed SAVE Act, after Velshi played a clip of Noem saying the government must ensure that “we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders.”
Velshi and Padilla, who previously served as California’s secretary of state, took issue with that framing. Both agreed that election officials should be focused on citizens voting—not defining which voters are the “right” ones.
Padilla pointed out that the SAVE Act is less about election security and more about political survival.
“The only thing it’s going to save is their hopes of holding on to power this November,” Padilla said, stating that the administration’s policies have been unpopular and harmful to working families. He pointed to rising costs for housing, food, and healthcare, and called out the administration for violating civil rights through aggressive immigration raids.
Padilla also linked the legislation to Trump’s continued claims about the 2020 election. He said the effort represents a shift from trying to “find votes” to making it harder for eligible people to cast ballots at all. “Let’s make it harder for eligible people to register or vote so only the people he wants can get to the ballot box”
“That is absolutely un-American,” Padilla sternly stated.
