Abdul El-Sayed Backed Releasing Prisoners in 2020 Webinar as Michigan Democrats Weigh Senate Electability
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 3
Abdul El-Sayed Backed Releasing Prisoners in 2020 Webinar as Michigan Democrats Weigh Senate Electability
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 3
Summary
A 2020 webinar recording reviewed by Fox News Digital shows Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed urging investment in “any and all efforts” to get people out of jails and prisons.
El-Sayed tied that stance partly to COVID-era prison overcrowding but said decarceration “doesn't end when the pandemic's over,” arguing policing and jails were stopgaps for broader social failures.
The September 2020 event was promoted by the University of Michigan's Carceral State Project and partners with #FreeThemAll and #AbolishPrison, framing it as a discussion of “decarceration and abolition.”
The resurfaced comments land as El-Sayed runs in a heated Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, where he is seen as the most progressive major candidate and faces electability concerns inside the party.
His campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital, and the report also revisits earlier scrutiny over deleted COVID-era social media posts supporting defunding the police.