Republicans are challenging New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s citizenship after his historic win, alleging fraud in his naturalization. Legal experts say denaturalization is rare and unlikely, calling the effort a political move.
Washington DC: Following Zohran Mamdani’s victory in last week’s New York City mayoral election, several Republican lawmakers have initiated efforts to block him from taking office by questioning the validity of his citizenship. Representative Andy Ogles has been at the forefront of these efforts, issuing a statement in late October calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Mamdani’s naturalization records. In his news release, Ogles argued that “if Mamdani lied on his naturalization documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City.” He characterized the situation as a major American city being “on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology.”
Andy Ogles further stated that the American naturalization system requires applicants to disclose any alignments with communism or terrorist activities, expressing doubt that Mamdani had done so. He suggested that if this suspicion were confirmed, Mamdani should be “put on the first flight back to Uganda.” In addition, the New York Young Republican Club has attempted to invoke the 14th Amendment to bar Mamdani from office, claiming he provided “aid and comfort” to enemies of the United States through his support of certain Palestinian rights organizations and his opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. President Donald Trump has also amplified these concerns, having previously threatened to cut federal funding to New York City if Mamdani won. Trump has promoted unsubstantiated claims about the mayor-elect’s citizenship status and labelled him a communist.
Can Zohran Mamdani Be Deported?
Citizenship revocation, legally termed denaturalization, is an extraordinarily rare legal mechanism that can only be executed through a court order. Immigration law experts emphasize that such cases require the government to meet an exceptionally high burden of proof. Attorney Jeremy McKinney told PolitiFact that denaturalization demands evidence of either fraudulent procurement or deliberate, material misrepresentation. Specifically, authorities must present “clear, unequivocal and convincing evidence” that the alleged falsehood would have altered the naturalization outcome at the time citizenship was granted.
Historically, denaturalization has been reserved for extreme cases, primarily involving Nazi war criminals who fled to the United States after World War II or individuals with documented connections to terrorism. According to Hofstra University law professor Irina Manta, while these cases have always been uncommon, they did increase somewhat during the first Trump administration. Immigration law specialists have found no evidence supporting the allegations against Mamdani. McKinney stated he has “seen no credible proof” that Mamdani was ineligible when he took his citizenship oath or that any application omissions were material to his case.
The naturalization application does include a question asking whether applicants have ever been members of, involved with, or associated with any communist or totalitarian party. This is where critics have focused their attention, given Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America. However, the Democratic Socialists of America is not classified as a communist organization under US law. his distinction is significant because the naturalization question specifically addresses communist and totalitarian parties, not democratic socialist groups.
Legal Obstacles to Disqualification
The 14th Amendment approach faces substantial legal obstacles. Successfully disqualifying a candidate under this provision would require a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Furthermore, any such action would almost certainly trigger a Supreme Court challenge, making its success highly unlikely. Mamdani arrived in the United States from Uganda in 1998 at age seven and obtained citizenship in 2018. Standard naturalization requirements include maintaining continuous residence as a lawful permanent resident for at least five years, or three years if married to a US citizen. These requirements would have been met by Mamdani before his naturalization.
The 34-year-old state Assembly member defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo by approximately 10 percentage points in the mayoral race. His election marks a historic milestone, he will be New York City’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor. The legal challenges represent an unprecedented attempt to use citizenship revocation as a tool to overturn a municipal election result, raising questions about the intersection of immigration law and democratic processes.