Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass sharply criticized Vice President JD Vance on Friday after he referred to Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla as “Jose”. Newsweek reached out to Bass’s office for additional comment regarding the incident.
Why It Matters
Republican President Donald Trump has made immigration control a central pillar of his second administration. During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration’s border czar to implement this agenda.
This month, protests erupted in Los Angeles in response to multiple U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the area. Trump dispatched National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amidst the unrest, a move that went against the wishes of California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. A judge ultimately reversed this decision, reinstating Newsom’s authority over the state’s Guard forces.
What To Know
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), held a news conference in Los Angeles last week concerning the ongoing protests, and Senator Padilla was in attendance. Video footage from the event shows Padilla being pushed to the ground and handcuffed outside the door while attempting to speak to Noem during the conference. Noem briefly paused her speech during the commotion before continuing immediately. The DHS later stated that Noem met with Padilla for 15 minutes after the gathering.
On Friday, Vice President Vance arrived in Los Angeles as the Trump administration intensified its ICE raids in the city. When reporters questioned him about Padilla’s removal from Noem’s briefing, a reporter noted, “The New York Times just did a story” about lawmakers who “keep getting handcuffed, suggesting that … the Trump administration is cracking down on Democrats,” asking for Vance’s comment.
Vance responded, “Well, I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn’t the theater. And that’s all it is. I think everybody realizes that’s what this is”.
Following Vance’s remarks, Mayor Bass publicly challenged him, stating, “Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator. You don’t know his name. But yet you served with him before you were vice president and you continue to serve with him today, because the last time I checked, the vice president of the United States is the president of the U.S. Senate”.
Bass continued her condemnation: “You serve with him today and how dare you disrespect him and call him ‘Jose.’ But I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he’s not just anybody to us. He is our senator”.
Previously, when asked about the incident, a Vance spokesperson told Newsweek that “He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law”.
Mayor Bass has been a staunch critic of the Trump administration’s ICE raids in Los Angeles and has pledged solidarity with immigrant communities in her city. She has also called for peaceful protests and condemned any violence in response to the White House’s immigration initiatives. Additionally, Bass imposed a curfew for a portion of downtown Los Angeles amidst the ongoing unrest.
