Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, argued during a 2022 Medicare for All conference that slavery and structural racism have shaped the American healthcare system. El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, also characterized opposition to government-funded healthcare for undocumented immigrants as a “deliberate, racist attack.” The remarks are resurfacing as he campaigns against Republican Mike Rogers.

Speaking at the conference, El-Sayed argued that racism prevents the United States from adopting universal government-run healthcare.

“Racism continues to flummox our capacity as a society to invest in collective public goods,” El-Sayed said. He added that racial divisions can outweigh the economic interests of lower-income white Americans in former Confederate states.

El-Sayed described the U.S. healthcare system as “privatized and partitioned,” arguing that differences in reimbursement rates based on income are connected to structural racism. He further claimed that the system places a lower value on Black patients than white patients.

The Michigan Democrat also took aim at arguments against expanding government-funded healthcare that point to the cost of treating undocumented immigrants. El-Sayed said opponents argue that “your healthcare monies are going to pay for those undocumented folks,” which he characterized as a “deliberate, racist attack.”

El-Sayed has continued to make Medicare for All a central part of his campaign platform. His campaign describes the proposal as a government guarantee of healthcare for every person in the United States. He has also supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The comments come alongside other positions that have drawn scrutiny during El-Sayed’s Senate campaign, including his support for abolishing ICE and his broader push for expanded government involvement in healthcare. Democratic-aligned groups have nevertheless continued backing his candidacy, with the Senate Majority PAC announcing an additional $10 million investment in the Michigan race this week.

El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination in August and now faces Rogers in the November general election. The resurfaced 2022 remarks put his views on race, immigration, and government-run healthcare back at the center of scrutiny surrounding his Senate campaign.