Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to fill the seat left vacant by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan. He is advocating for the elimination of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a stance that echoes an earlier position taken by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) but was largely set aside by Democrats after President Trump’s reelection.
In a conversation with podcaster Evan James, El-Sayed criticized the $185 billion allocated to ICE over four years in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” claiming it’s being used for harmful practices.
“To me, the middle ground regarding ICE really should not exist,” he expressed.
El-Sayed, whose father emigrated from Egypt, referred to ICE agents as a “paramilitary group of thugs.”
He elaborated, stating, “Why has ICE devolved into this? It’s because Trump has been conducting an 11-year campaign against the Constitution itself.” He suggested that the justification of ICE and immigration serves as a means to establish a group of enforcers loyal solely to him.
“I want to eliminate institutions that primarily exist to undermine the rule of law and the Constitution,” El-Sayed said. “I think it’s a sentiment that everyone can understand.”
The Searchlight Institute has been known to advise Democrats to adopt positions that resonate with a broader segment of the American public. In January, it released a document advising elected Democrats and candidates for upcoming elections against the idea of “abolishing ICE.”
“Amidst these overreaches, some on the left are renewing calls to ‘abolish ICE,’” the memo outlined. “However, I must clarify that supporting the abolition of ICE equates to advocating the end of all immigration enforcement within the U.S. This stance is misguided and not aligned with the views of the American people.”
Recent polls indicate that El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) are effectively neck and neck in the Democratic primary for the Michigan state Senate seat.
