NBC’s Seth Meyers announced on Wednesday’s edition of Late Night that the arrest of New York mayoral candidate Brad Lander and removal of Sen. Alex Padilla from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference mean that we are now living in “a police state.”
Meyers teed up a Padilla-related video package by declaring, “And Lander isn’t even the first Democratic official to be roughed up by federal agents and then detained without explanation.”
In the first clip, a local news reporter declared, “Democratic U.S. Senator from California, Alex Padilla, was forcefully removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video captured him approaching Noem with questions while she was discussing immigration raids. Security for the Secretary then used force and handcuffed Senator Padilla after removing him.”
Claiming that Padilla simply approached Noem with questions is not quite the whole picture. Padilla clearly intended to make a scene, and the fact that he was not wearing his Senate security pin meant it was not clear whether he was a senator or just some crazy person claiming to be one.
In the second clip, an emotional Padilla was shown on the Senate floor claiming, “I was forced to the ground. First on my knees, and then flat on my chest. And I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway, repeatedly asking, ‘Why am I being detained?’ not once did they tell me why.”
Meyers reacted, “Why—telling people why they're getting arrested is, like, the main part of arresting. Otherwise, it's just aggressive flirting. ‘You're under arrest.’ ‘What for?’ ‘I don't know. Have you been a bad boy?’ This is what it looks like to live in a police state. Everyone's wearing masks like it's [bleep] Eyes Wide Shut.”
If this was a real police state, neither Lander nor Padilla would’ve been released without charges and free to talk about it.
Here is a transcript for the June 18-taped show:
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
6/19/2025
12:46 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: And Lander isn’t even the first Democratic official to be roughed up by federal agents and then detained without explanation.
LOCAL NEWS REPORTER: Democratic U.S. Senator from California, Alex Padilla, was forcefully removed from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video captured him approaching Noem with questions while she was discussing immigration raids. Security for the Secretary then used force and handcuffed Senator Padilla after removing him.
ALEX PADILLA: I was forced to the ground. First on my knees, and then flat on my chest. And I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway, repeatedly asking, "Why am I being detained?" not once did they tell me why.
MEYERS: Why—telling people why they're getting arrested is, like, the main part of arresting. Otherwise, it's just aggressive flirting. "You're under arrest." "What for?" "I don't know. Have you been a bad boy?" This is what it looks like to live in a police state. Everyone's wearing masks like it's [bleep] Eyes Wide Shut.
