Senator Ruben Gallego lionized a California Senator detained for disrupting an immigration-related media event by the Trump administration.
California Senator Alex Padilla was detained for disrupting a news conference on immigration by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles amid the ongoing anti-ICE protests and riots.
Federal agents removed and handcuffed Padilla on the belief he was an unidentified man breaching the news conference. While the senator admitted he wasn’t originally included or expected in the news conference, he claimed he did identify himself.
“After identifying myself and trying to ask a question, I was aggressively pushed out of the room, forced to the ground, and handcuffed,” said Padilla.
If that’s what they do to a United States Senator with a question, imagine what they can do to any American that dares to speak up. We will hold this administration accountable. pic.twitter.com/ZMExvMmZfE
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) June 12, 2025
Videos of the incident show Padilla initially interrupted the news conference without identifying himself, walking quickly toward Noem at her podium while interrupting her with questions. Reports also indicate Padilla’s attire didn’t confirm his insistence after interrupting Noem and while being detained that he was, in fact, a U.S. Senator.
New video showing Senator Padilla was being disruptive and was removed.
This is all a theater. He should not have assaulted the officers.
Gallego sided with Padilla’s version of events. The senator called the arrest a “raw abuse of power,” implying a pattern of the current administration acting unlawfully in regard to immigration.
“They shoved, pinned, and handcuffed Senator Padilla – for asking a question to protect his community,” said Gallego. “A sitting U.S. Senator.”
They shoved, pinned, and handcuffed @SenAlexPadilla —for asking a question to protect his community. A sitting U.S. Senator.
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) June 12, 2025
Noem said in interviews that Padilla was arrested for interrupting the news conference without identifying himself and engaging in troubling behaviors. Noem shared that she met with Padilla after his arrest to hear his concerns.
“This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me, and elevating his voice, and was stopped, did not identify himself, and was removed from the room,” said Noem.
After he interrupted our press conference with law enforcement, I met with Senator Padilla for 15 minutes. We probably disagree on 90% of the topics but we agreed to exchanged phone numbers and we will continue to talk—that is the way it should be in this country.
The arrest preceded a federal court order reverting California National Guard authority back to California Governor Gavin Newsom starting Friday. The Trump administration appealed.
Gallego chose to raise awareness of Padilla’s arrest as an injustice before upcoming anti-ICE protests nationwide on President Donald Trump’s birthday — Flag Day — which many believe will devolve into violence, given the recent riots in Los Angeles and spurts of violence emerging at anti-ICE demonstrations locally, like the incident on Tuesday in Peoria in which protesters assaulted an officer.
The organization behind the coordinated protests that have many concerned, No Kings, has listed dozens of protests across Arizona for Saturday: Anthem, Buckeye, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Douglas, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Glendale, Globe, Green Valley, Kingman, Maricopa, Mesa, Nogales (two), Oracle, Oro Valley, Page, Patagonia, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix (two), Prescott, Safford, Scottsdale (two), Sedona (two), Show Low, Sierra Vista, Sun City, Surprise (two), Queen Creek, Tempe, Tucson, Vail, Williams, and Yuma.
In a pre-mobilization call on Thursday, No Kings insisted their protests remain peaceful.
Governor Katie Hobbs offered public support for the anti-ICE rioters in California. Hobbs condemned President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to control the days-long rioting in the state. The governor called the president’s actions “ineffective and dangerous,” and disrespectful of local law enforcement.
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Arizona State University (ASU) issued an email advising students on avoiding President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
The university’s action potentially interferes with a decision by the Trump administration to improve national security.
ASU sent out an email last Friday, obtained by ABC 15, telling international students to return and remain in the country until the completion of their degree so as to avoid any potential conflicts with immigration enforcement.
“At ASU, we measure success as a university not by whom we exclude, but by whom we include and how they succeed. This principle is foundational to our charter as a New American University because we know that diverse perspectives enhance the strength of our scholarly community and of our democracy. This proclamation has no effect on our fundamental institutional values. We advise you to stay in the U.S. Per the proclamation, all nationals from these countries will not be able to enter the U.S. until further notice. If you are currently not in the United States, we strongly recommend you return before June 9, 2025. If you are currently in the United States, the International Students and Scholar Center highly recommends that you do not leave the country until the completion of your degree.”
ASU has over 17,000 international students.
The New American University is a model of higher education conceptualized by ASU President Michael Crow. Its cofounder, Jerry Hirsch, is known for his longtime chairmanship of the Lodestar Foundation in Phoenix and establishment of nonprofit iterations designed to thwart Trump.
The New American University received funding from leading Democratic dark money donor George Soros in recent years.
President Donald Trump issued a travel ban last week on nationals from the countries of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The proclamation also further restricted travel on individuals hailing from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The purpose of the travel ban is to ensure enemies of the country don’t enter it, according to the president. Trump’s proclamation revealed that the foreign countries named in the travel ban had “deficient” screening and vetting procedures, with many exhibiting a “historic failure” to take back their nationals.
“The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,” said Trump.
The president cited the recent terrorist attack on protesters by an illegal immigrant in Boulder, Colorado, as an impetus for the ban. 15 individuals were injured as a result of the attack.
Trump’s travel ban doesn’t apply retroactively to visa holders hailing from the affected countries.
Exceptions to the ban also extend to lawful permanent residents; dual nationals of a designated country traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country; foreign nationals traveling with certain nonimmigrant visas; athletes and their team members traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or certain other major sporting events; immediate family immigrant visas; adoptions; Afghan Special Immigrant Visas; Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees; and immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The travel ban took effect on Monday, the day by which ASU advised its international students to return and remain in the country.
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The inventor and top distributor of the Taser, Axon Enterprise, says it will no longer be working with the Scottsdale City Council on their new headquarters.
That’s not to say Axon will leave Scottsdale or the state. Axon leaders clarified the company only intended to keep city leaders out of discussions to establish their new headquarters going forward.
Axon President Josh Isner announced on Monday the company withdrew from negotiations with city leaders on building their new headquarters. Isner blamed the “toxic” political climate of Scottsdale City Council.
“Unfortunately, Axon is withdrawing from negotiations with the City of Scottsdale,” said Isner. “The internal politics of the City Council currently make it impossible to reach an agreement. I have never seen such a toxic environment in my life. We put a great deal on the table and we tried our best.”
Scottsdale City Councilman Adam Kwasman said he was disappointed in his fellow council members for refusing Axon’s negotiations. Kwasman said he would work on another solution to keep Axon from leaving.
“[Axon’s] offers were generous and would have benefitted both Scottsdale and Arizona as a whole,” said Kwasman. “I am saddened that my colleagues could not share in a vision that would have reduced approved density, reduced approved apartments, funded police, and built an incredible partnership between the city and one of America’s best companies.”
I want to make it clear to everyone following @axon_us and Scottsdale: @JoshIsner’s negotiations with the mayor and me were in good faith. Their offers were generous and would have benefitted both Scottsdale and Arizona as a whole. I now consider Josh a friend. I am saddened that…
Isner thanked Kwasman and Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky for their efforts to keep negotiations afloat.
“You came to the table in a solution-oriented and thoughtful way,” said Isner. “It was a pleasure working with you on this and appreciate your continued support of Axon.”
Borowsky, in turn, thanked Axon for their willingness to negotiate and expressed disappointment at the impasse between the company and the council.
“Unfortunately, there were too many hurdles to overcome in order to move an agreement forward successfully,” said Borowksy. “I remain hopeful that future negotiations result in a win-win agreement that works for the community and keeps this vital employer right where it belongs – in Scottsdale.”
“I appreciate Axon’s efforts to come to the table and engage in meaningful dialogue regarding the future of their development. Their team was willing to make concessions to their existing plan, which I appreciate.
Unfortunately, there were too many hurdles to overcome in order…
Not all leaders representing the area were pleased with Axon’s actions up to this point.
State Rep. Joseph Chaplik accused Axon of navigating the dealmaking process dishonestly. Chaplik told Axon to make good on their threat of leaving the state by disclosing where they planned to move their operations.
“They have divided the Republican caucus and they are now dividing the city council. They do not listen to the people of Scottsdale, who I represent. They have bypassed all proper channels to resolve their land use issues,” said Chaplik. “Their tactics included bullying, threatening and securing close door meetings. This is not how a transparent company operates.”
Axon has not been operating in good faith since they bought the land in #Scottsdale.
They have divided the Republican caucus and they are now dividing the city council.
They do not listen to the people of Scottsdale, who I represent. They have bypassed all proper channels to…
— Rep. Joseph Chaplik 🇺🇸 (@JosephChaplik) June 9, 2025
Although these recent negotiations didn’t go Axon’s way, the company did see wins in other areas recently. Governor Hobbs signed a bill retroactively preventing zoning decisions from becoming ballot questions. The new law nullifies a referendum effort by 27,000 Scottsdale residents challenging Axon’s planned headquarters — under that referendum, voters would have decided on the proposed headquarter’s fate in 2026.
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Governor Katie Hobbs came out in support of the anti-deportation rioters that took to the streets in Los Angeles, California, over the weekend.
Hobbs signed onto a statement with California Governor Gavin Newsom and all other Democratic governors in the country opposing President Donald Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard to stop the Los Angeles riots as “an alarming abuse of power […] ineffective and dangerous.”
WOW:
Democrat @KatieHobbs joins @GavinNewsom on a letter (1) siding WITH the Los Angeles rioters and (2) calling the National Guard "dangerous."
The joint statement also demonized Trump for promising to send Marines into neighborhoods to keep the peace.
“Further, threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement,” stated Hobbs and the Democratic governors. “It’s important we respect the executive authority of our country’s governors to manage their National Guards — and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation.”
Trump said border czar Tom Homan should arrest Newsom on Monday after returning to the White House from Camp David, calling the governor “ a nice guy [but] grossly incompetent.”
On Saturday, the president issued a proclamation calling federal service members and National Guard units to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal personnel enforcing immigration law from ongoing anti-deportation protests. The president’s deployment of 2,000 troops was in response to protests triggered by federal immigration raids in California. 300 National Guard members deployed to Los Angeles.
While the exact number of arrests in the Los Angeles riots remains unknown, reports from the New York Times and NBC News indicate well over 150 were arrested in total from Friday throughout the weekend.
Hobbs has consistently been against immigration enforcement. The governor demanded answers from the Department of Homeland Security after ICE detained illegal immigrants attending immigration hearings in Phoenix last month. Hobbs said those who migrated illegally weren’t “criminals” and shouldn’t be detained.
“We need to prioritize efforts to deport criminals and secure the border,” said Hobbs. “Indiscriminately rounding up people following the rules won’t make us safer.”
My office is in contact with DHS to gather more information.
We need to prioritize efforts to deport criminals and secure the border. Indiscriminately rounding up people following the rules won't make us safer. https://t.co/z9Kaat6uuw
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) May 22, 2025
Protesters also took to the streets in Phoenix on Sunday, though Fox News reporters on the ground for this protest indicated it remained peaceful.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organized the Phoenix protest. In a statement to social media, PSL called for an end to immigration enforcement efforts and the release of one Phoenix-area illegal immigrant, Joel Gutierrez.
“Hundreds of Arizonans are in the streets to demand an END to the racist ICE raids and the release of Joel Gutierrez, a father who was detained this past week,” stated PSL.
BREAKING: ‘Anti-ICE’ protestors marching in downtown Phoenix right now. Police are out in full force as well so use caution if you’re traveling downtown this evening.@FOX10Phoenixpic.twitter.com/HXjojQZETk
As of this report, Gutierrez’s family has raised nearly $4,300 of the $15,000 goal on GoFundMe for lawyer’s fees and living expenses. ICE detained Gutierrez on his way to work, an outcome his family implies was not due to his choice to immigrate to the U.S. illegally but being “at the wrong place at the wrong time.” His family claims Gutierrez is their sole provider.
PSL — which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party — has consistently organized its protests to appear around coordinated ICE detainments. They and other leftist groups have taken to the streets multiple times this year to protest Trump’s immigration enforcement.
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The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) revoked the charter for Primavera Online School, potentially affecting over 20,000 students enrolled.
ASBCS cited low academic results these past three years as the basis for their decision, unanimously made during Tuesday’s meeting.
Primavera’s founder and CEO, Damian Creamer, maintains ASBCS incorrectly redesignated Primavera in recent years as a traditional school rather than its historical designation as an alternative school. Grading as a traditional school resulted in Primavera receiving failing grades — rather than the adjusted passing grades Primavera would have gotten had it continued its designation as an alternative school.
Alternative schools serve at-risk students, a status requiring annual application.
ASBCS did acknowledge that Primavera could be classified as an alternative school. However, it was also discussed how Primavera officials hadn’t contacted state officials about its redesignation as a traditional school, let alone about the poor grades.
Creamer had this to say in response to ASBCS’s decision:
The Arizona State Charter School Board’s decision to uphold its plan to revoke Primavera’s charter is a grave injustice and a tremendous disservice to all of Arizona’s students, parents, and teachers. This reckless action threatens to dismantle a vital educational institution that has faithfully served our community, providing innovative, accessible, and high-quality education to hundreds of thousands of students since our inception. We are appalled that the Board denied our legal counsel an opportunity to address the allegations made or to address the multitude of factual inaccuracies on which the board members specifically said they were acting. They did not want to hear anything that was contrary to the factually incorrect narrative they created. This blatant disregard for due process is not only unfair but undermines the principles of transparency and accountability that the Board claims to uphold. The assumptions and conclusions reached by the Board are based on factually untrue and materially false information. These were obvious misrepresentations rather than data driven evidence. Primavera will not stand idly by while the educational futures of our students are jeopardized. We are prepared to take all necessary action to challenge this decision and protect the rights of our students, parents, and educators. The Board’s actions will not go unanswered, and we will fight tirelessly to ensure that Arizona families continue to have access to the exceptional education Primavera provides.
The state’s chief educational authority says he was powerless to stop the revocation process. Back in March, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said he lacked authority to meddle with the ASBCS decision in response to appeals to intervene from the charter giant and its allies. Horne said Primavera would have to appeal and present evidence to an administrative law judge as their next steps. Primavera has hearings on the matter scheduled for September.
“The legislature chose to divide jurisdiction regarding charter schools between the Arizona Department of Education and the Charter Board,” said Horne. “The current issue is within the jurisdiction of the Charter Board. I have no power or influence over that. If I were to try to influence it, the Charter Board would resent the trespass on their turf, and it would do more harm than good.”
Horne also issued a statement supporting the ASBCS decision to seek charter revocation.
Primavera did receive approval for alternative status for the 2025 fiscal year, and has its application for alternative status for the 2026 fiscal year pending before the Arizona Department of Education.
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