Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed acknowledged that his sister‑in‑law, Mariam Jukaku, was involved in a lawsuit challenging her alleged placement on the federal Terrorism Screening Database, days before former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign with him.
What he said on Fox News
In an interview aired Saturday with Fox News senior correspondent Mike Tobin, Tobin asked El‑Sayed about court documents identifying Jukaku as a plaintiff in a 2016 watchlist challenge. When pressed, “she was on the terrorist watch list?” El‑Sayed responded, “Yeah,” according to the Fox News segment.
El‑Sayed defended his sister‑in‑law, saying, “She did nothing wrong and was captured on that and then sued and got off.” He also criticized Republican Senate rival Mike Rogers, saying the watchlist represents “the infrastructure that people like Mike Rogers set up.”
What the lawsuit alleged
Fox News, citing the 2016 complaint, reported that Jukaku underwent extra airport screening in 2012 and alleged she was not told why she was flagged. The filing said she was believed to have been removed from the watchlist by 2016.
Court outcomes cited
Fox News reported that although El‑Sayed said she “sued and won,” a federal appeals court in 2021 overturned a ruling that had favored the plaintiffs. A separate lawsuit seeking damages was dismissed in 2017, according to the same report.
Campaign timing
Fox News said Obama is set to campaign alongside El‑Sayed in Michigan on Oct. 24 ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
What we don’t know
Warren County Minute has not reviewed the underlying court filings, dockets, or the full Fox News segment. Details on the specific case numbers and the scope of any rulings were not provided in the source material.
