Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Abdul El-Sayed’s Half-Sister Faced 2 Felony Counts After 2025 Anti-ICE Riot Arrest
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 14

Abdul El-Sayed’s Half-Sister Faced 2 Felony Counts After 2025 Anti-ICE Riot Arrest

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 14

Summary

  • Eman Abdelhadi — University of Chicago associate professor and half-sister of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed — was charged on Oct. 3, 2025, with two felony aggravated-battery counts after allegedly spitting on an Illinois state trooper.
  • The charges stemmed from protests outside an ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, where Abdelhadi had publicly backed the demonstrations and said federal immigration officials were "terrorizing" communities.
  • Her arrest is drawing renewed attention as El-Sayed, who narrowly won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, tries to broaden support by reaching out to moderate Rep. Haley Stevens.
  • Abdelhadi has separately drawn notice for hard-left activism, including a profane 2025 speech attacking the University of Chicago, which still employs her; the status of her criminal case was not immediately available.

Insights

What role will Illinois' cashless bail system play in the pending felony case of this prominent academic activist?
How will a university professor's felony charges from a protest clash impact her academic career and institutional standing?
Will past allegations of excessive force at the Broadview facility influence the legal outcome of these recent protest charges?