DSA co-chair pushes back on Soviet Union comparisons, wants prisons to be 'less necessary'

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) co-chair Ashik Siddique defended the organization against comparisons to the Soviet Union while outlining a vision to make police and prisons "less necessary" in the United States.

"Our goal is democratic socialism, which we think is distinct from the Soviet Union, which ended decades ago," he told "The Will Cain Show" Wednesday.

Siddique's comments come as socialism surges in influence within the Democratic Party, with socialist candidates securing major primary victories and unseating established Democrats.

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All three congressional candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier – won their respective Democratic primaries, reflecting an increasing acceptance of the far-left movement within the party.

"We're winning candidates all over the country and uniting people across differences. The DSA is led by working-class people across the country," Siddique told host Will Cain.

President Donald Trump recently renewed warnings about socialism’s growing influence within the Democratic Party, labeling it the "biggest threat" to America since 1776.

Meanwhile, many prominent Democrats have embraced candidates aligned with the movement, arguing the Democratic Party is a "big tent" coalition.

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"We have a big tent of all sorts of ordinary people who have many different ideas about what the pathway is or what the horizon is," Siddique said.

The DSA advocates for Medicare for all, tuition-free college for all and a 32-hour work week.

When asked whether the DSA supports open borders, Siddique asserted the U.S. has "open borders for capitalists" and CEOs.

"We have people who've run major companies that have hollowed out cities all over the country, taking jobs out of communities, outsourcing jobs, pushing trade deals that are bad for workers," the DSA co-chair said.

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The DSA states on its website, "Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism."

"We would not have open borders tomorrow, but we want a world in which all working people are taken care of," Siddique said.

The DSA co-chair went on to address whether America’s "destruction" is the left-wing organization's goal, arguing that the movement advocates for improving the lives of working Americans.

"Our goal is to expand possibility in America and expand the promise of America. So many people have come to the United States for centuries in search of a better life, in search for opportunity," Siddique said.

"Today the United States is the wealthiest country in the history of the world and yet more people than ever are struggling to get by," he continued. "So we believe that workers deserve more in the United States. Everybody deserves a basic floor for a good life."