Legal experts say attempts to revoke New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s citizenship over political views are baseless and nearly impossible under U.S. law.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim and youngest mayor-elect, is facing an unusual political attack from Republican lawmakers who claim his U.S. citizenship should be revoked. The radical move has no legal basis, according to experts.
Following Mamdani’s decisive election win, GOP figures including Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Rep. Randy Fine of Florida accused the Ugandan-born politician of lying during his naturalization process. They have called on the Justice Department to strip his citizenship, alleging ties to communism and “terrorist” activities. So far, they have produced no evidence to support those claims. A lot of people confuse socialism with communism or simply want to brand the young politician with a negative buzzword.
“Denaturalization is an extreme, rare remedy that requires the government to prove either illegal procurement or a willful, material lie — at a minimum, clear, unequivocal and convincing evidence that the fact would have changed the outcome at the time of naturalization,” immigration lawyer Jeremy McKinney told PolitiFact. “I’ve seen no credible proof he was ineligible when he took the oath.”
Mamdani, who came to the U.S. as a child in 1998 and became a citizen in 2018, meets all legal requirements for citizenship. He has also faced a wave of Islamophobic rhetoric during and after his campaign. “Islamophobia is something that is endemic to politics across this country,” Mamdani said during an interview with MSNBC. “We have seen it normalized and accepted.”
The GOP effort has also invoked the 14th Amendment, arguing that Mamdani provided “aid and comfort” to U.S. enemies through his criticism of immigration enforcement and past comments about Palestine. Constitutional scholars, however, dismiss this as political theater. The amendment’s insurrection clause applies only to people who engaged in rebellion or gave aid to wartime enemies, not domestic policy critics or members of lawful political groups.
Even if the Justice Department were to pursue the case, citizenship can only be revoked through a federal court order. This is a process used sparingly in cases involving Nazi war criminals or convicted terrorists, not elected officials with protected political opinions.
In short, Republicans can’t unilaterally strip Mamdani’s citizenship or block him from taking office. Without clear, court-tested evidence of fraud or criminal activity, legal experts say the push to deport him is destined to fail.
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