A 2018 campaign forum video of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is circulating again, showing him arguing against local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and calling for the country to “open our doors” to the world.
The clip, pulled from El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 run for Michigan governor, was resurfaced by X user Maze Moore. In it, El-Sayed says he opposes localities helping ICE with deportations. “And I’m not willing to be a part of that,” he said, adding that he would push legislation to stop local governments from assisting federal immigration enforcement.
El-Sayed also argued against distinguishing people based on immigration status when it comes to government access and services. “Beyond that, we also have to make sure we are not discriminating based on documentation status,” he said, adding that people without legal status should not be denied access to benefits and programs available to others. “I think that’s ridiculous, and we’ve got to stop discriminating that way,” he said.
He went further, saying the country should spend money helping people who arrive illegally retrain for new professions and learn English. “We as a country, I believe, owe it to the world to open our doors,” El-Sayed said.
A Different Public Image in 2026
El-Sayed is now running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, and his current campaign presentation looks different from 2018. Where he once wore suits on the campaign trail, he has more recently appeared in casual clothing, including T-shirts and jeans. He has also sought to present himself as more moderate than his 2018 record suggests, though he has drawn attention for other comments, including a recent clip mocking Michigan football.
The resurfaced video undercuts that moderate framing by putting his own 2018 words on the record: opposition to local-federal immigration enforcement cooperation, opposition to treating documentation status as a basis for access to benefits, and a stated belief that the United States owes the world open borders.
The 2018 Result
El-Sayed lost the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer, who went on to become governor, by more than 21 percentage points. He finished ahead of Shri Thanedar, who later won a seat in Congress.
