Senate candidate El-Sayed blames American guns for cartels' rise, urges diplomacy over war-like action
Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed spoke on 'The Moment Podcast' on Wednesday about what America should do to curtail Mexican drug cartels, calling for diplomacy instead of war-like actions.
On the podcast, co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos asked him about the Trump administration's efforts to fight Mexican cartels since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in 2025.
Asked whether he would support using troops or drones, El-Sayed rejected the idea and suggested that the United States bears some responsibility for the cartels' rise.
El-Sayed said: 'Let's be clear, American-manufactured guns are responsible for a lot of the cartels.'
He emphasized the need to work diplomatically to address the flow of drugs and guns across the border and to contain what he called 'cartel behavior' involving U.S. guns.
El-Sayed said: 'Containing cartels doesn't mean that we go and do war-like actions south of the border. It means working alongside Mexican counterparts to ask what is the flow of guns that might be turned into cartel behavior down the stretch.' He also said the flow of fentanyl coming northward must be stopped.
El-Sayed's campaign reiterated his position to Fox News Digital, saying he was referring to working with the Mexican government to crack down on the cartels to prevent the flow of guns and illegal drugs across the border.
El-Sayed had previously supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
His comments came a month after the Trump administration, through the Treasury Department, sanctioned 21 individuals and 25 entities linked to Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Digital at the time that the action underscored that no cartel kingpin, corrupt Mexican government official or financial facilitator is beyond the reach of Treasury's authorities.
