This article covers a Republican lawmaker’s push for a Justice Department probe into New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the denaturalization question that follows, and the public statements and associations that prompted the request. It explains why denaturalization would be pursued instead of deportation, lays out the specific allegations being raised, and notes responses from the campaign so far. The piece keeps the focus squarely on legal accountability, public trust, and the political implications in a high-profile mayoral race.
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has renewed a call for the Department of Justice to examine whether Zohran Mamdani should keep his U.S. citizenship given public reporting about his past statements and associations. Mamdani is a New York State assemblyman and a self-declared Democratic socialist who has emerged as a frontrunner in the city’s mayoral race. Republicans see this as a straightforward matter of vetting someone who seeks high office in America.
Mamdani holds dual citizenship with the United States and Uganda and was naturalized in 2018. It is illegal to deport American citizens, so the only legal pathway to remove citizenship is through denaturalization, which requires federal court proof that citizenship was acquired through fraud or concealment. That legal threshold is high, but Ogles argues that high office brings higher scrutiny and that any credible sign of deception should be examined.
“No individual, regardless of public office or public profile, should be shielded from accountability if credible evidence indicates deception or concealment during the citizenship process,” Ogles wrote. His letter follows an earlier inquiry in June and is meant to press the Department of Justice to treat the matter with urgency. From a Republican standpoint, this is about preserving the integrity of the naturalization system and ensuring loyalty to the nation among those who represent the public.
Ogles also noted that “additional public reporting has raised further questions about Mr. Mamdani’s past statements and associations, including his refusal to disavow violent anti-American rhetoric and continued public praise for individuals convicted of providing material support to Hamas.” That sentence captures the core of the complaint: not merely ideological disagreement but specific praise for people linked by court findings to a designated terrorist organization. The Holy Land Foundation was accused in U.S. court of having ties to Hamas, and that history is central to the allegations.
Media reporting has included claims that Mamdani praised the group’s founders in a 2017 rap release under the name “Mr. Cardamom,” and opponents on the campaign trail have accused him repeatedly of showing undue sympathy for Hamas. He has been a vocal critic of Israel and its actions in Gaza, and he even pledged to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot in New York City. Those public positions have made many voters and officials uneasy about whether the candidate’s loyalties align with American interests.
At the same time, Mamdani has tried to cast himself as a mayor for all New Yorkers and has sought to soften his image in recent appearances. He has never explicitly expressed support for Hamas but has avoided directly weighing in on the group on multiple occasions until a recent debate against his fellow mayoral candidates, where he said, “Of course, I believe that they should lay down their arms.” That line was seized on by critics as insufficiently forthright, while supporters argue it shows a reluctance to escalate rhetoric.
Ogles made the case that “The United States must uphold the integrity of its citizenship process and ensure that those who seek to represent the public meet the highest standards of loyalty to this Nation.” Republicans frame this as protecting national security and public trust rather than partisan targeting. The denaturalization path would require evidence in federal court, but the demand for an investigation reflects a broader insistence on accountability.
Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment, and the issue is likely to persist as the mayoral contest continues. If the Department of Justice opens a formal probe, it will test legal standards and political pressure at once, and it will force voters to reckon with questions of history, rhetoric, and the standards we expect from elected officials. Political fights over naturalization and fitness for office are uncomfortable, but they are now part of this mayoral narrative.
