Trump administration raises possibility of stripping Mamdani of US citizenship
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, appeared to pave the way for an investigation into Mamdani's status after Andy Ogles, a rightwing Republican congressman for Tennessee, called for his citizenship to be revoked on the grounds that he may have concealed his support for 'terrorism' during the naturalization process.
Mamdani, 33, who was born in Uganda to ethnic Indian parents, became a US citizen in 2018 and has attracted widespread media attention – and controversy – over his vocal support for Palestinian rights.
Controversy over his immigration status follows a chorus of Islamophobic attacks on his Muslim faith following his apparent victory in last week's New York mayoral primary, when he finished first in a field that included Andrew Cuomo, the former New York state governor and favored candidate of the Democratic establishment.
It also comes after the Trump administration instructed attorneys to prioritize denaturalizing foreign-born US citizens who had committed specified crimes. A justice department memo instructs lawyers to institute proceedings against naturalized citizens who ares suspected of having 'illegally procured' naturalization or having done so by 'concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation'.
Ogles wrote to Pam Bondi, the attorney general calling for an investigation into Mamdani after his Democratic mayoral primary victory on the grounds that 'he may have procured US citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.'
As evidence, he cited a rap song by Mamdani, entitled my love to the Holy Land five, in which he called members of a foundation convicted of supporting Hamas 'my guys'. He also referred to Mamdani's refusal to disavow earlier calls to globalize the intifada.'
In an accompanying post on X, Ogles wrote: 'Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be deported.'
Asked about Ogles's call, Leavitt said: 'I have not seen those claims, but surely if they are true, it's something that should be investigated.'
The justice department has confirmed receiving Ogles' letter but has not commented further.
Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut who has become one of the Trump administration's most effective critics, called the demand to denaturalize Mamdani 'racist bullshit'.
'Trump will stop at nothing to protect billionaires and price gouging corporations, even racist bullshit like this,' he wrote.
'Zohran won because he ran a campaign laser focused on putting power back in the hands of working people. And that's a threat to the Mar-a-Lago crowd.'
Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, has had his social media posts and previous political activism fiercely scrutinized since last week's election victory, which was accompanied by promises of leftwing populist policies for New York if he is eventually elected mayor.
Amid a chorus of rightwing vitriol, Donald Trump has called him 'a pure communist' and has threatened to cut off funds to New York if Mamdani becomes mayor and 'doesn't behave himself'.
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