00:00Now throughout this country's history we've had conflict, we've had tumult, but we've never had
00:08a tyrant as a commander-in-chief. And that is not by coincidence. It's because the American
00:17people have always been willing to speak up and exercise their First Amendment right to protest,
00:24especially when our fundamental rights have been threatened. And as the proud son of immigrants
00:34from Mexico, it's that same right that I came to revere when marching through the streets with
00:40my family and my friends in 1994 in Los Angeles protesting against the vile anti-immigrant
00:51rhetoric that was growing in California at that time. It was that year that a Republican
00:57governor was up for re-election and was down in the polls. And he turned to scapegoating
01:03immigrants to try to improve his political standing and his re-election chances. That
01:10fight is what inspired me to leave an engineering career behind and dedicate myself to trying
01:19to influence our government and our politics.
01:25So I've seen this before. California has seen this before.
01:32So last week, when I heard something so blatantly un-American from the Secretary of Homeland Security,
01:39a cabinet official, of course, I was compelled both as a senator and as an American to speak
01:49up. But before I could even get out my question, I was physically and aggressively forced out
01:59of the room. Even as I repeatedly announced I was a United States senator and I had a question
02:08for the secretary. And even as the National Guardsman and the FBI agent who served as my escorts and
02:17brought me into that press briefing room, stood by silently, knowing full well who I was.
02:27You've seen the video. I was pushed and pulled, struggled to maintain my balance.
02:45I was forced to the ground. First on my knees and then flat on my chest.
02:57And as I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway, repeatedly asking, why am I being detained?
03:13Not once did they tell me why.
03:15I pray you never have a moment like this.
03:19I pray you never have a moment like this.
03:22But I will tell you, in that moment, a lot of questions came to my mind.
03:31First of all, where are they taking me?
03:34Because I know I'm not just being escorted out of the building.
03:36And what will a city already on edge from being militarized think when they see their United
03:52States Senator being handcuffed just for trying to ask a question?
03:58And what will my wife think?
04:07What will our boys think?
04:09And I also remember asking myself, if this aggressive escalation is the result of someone
04:22speaking up against the abuses and overreach of the Trump administration,
04:31was it really worth it?
04:33But colleagues, how many Americans in our nation's history have marched, have protested,
04:44have shed blood, even lost their lives to protect our rights?
04:51How many Americans have served in wars overseas to protect our freedoms here at home?
04:57And how many Americans in the year 2025 see a vindictive president on a tour of retribution,
05:06unrestrained by the majority of this separate and co-equal branch of government,
05:15and wonder if it's worth it to stand up or to speak out?
05:21If a United States Senator becomes too afraid to speak up,
05:25how can we expect any other American to do the same?
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