Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called out the Trump administration for having Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) arrested for asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question.Like so many people around the country, I just saw something that made my stomach turn. Something that I didnt think Id see, even in this administration, Buttigieg said in a video posted to social media. He then showed video of Padilla being beaten to the ground as he was being arrested for questioning Noem. Related Pete Buttigieg rips into the presidents terrible tariff debacle Its total chaos, said the out former transportation secretary, adding that the president is trying to act like a king. What are we supposed to do about that? Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The Trump government has crossed one of the reddest of red lines that can exist in a free society, Buttigieg continued. Any salute to the flag or talk of patriotism or American greatness is completely hollow if you do not respect the freedoms that that flag represents, the Constitution that directs the course of this country, and theyve shown what they think of those freedoms and that Constitution.Buttigieg explained that members of Congress, especially Republicans, have to respond to the out of control administrations attacks on their power and democracy itself. Today they have crossed a deep red line. We, the people, must hold the president and his appointees accountable for this outrageous abuse against American liberty. pic.twitter.com/iPIlR4U5Fv Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) June 12, 2025The administration justified the arrest by saying that Padilla didnt identify himself, even though multiple videos of the incident show him saying, Im Senator Alex Padilla, I have questions for the secretary.Secretary Noem was speaking about immigration enforcement and the protests in LA. Sen. Padilla is the ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and he also represents the state of California. Im OK, Padilla later said. But if they can do that to me, a United States senator what are they doing to a lot of folks out there when the cameras are not on?What weve seen here should not be normalized.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.