GOP Congressman says Mamdani should lose citizenship over pro-Hamas statements

While US law does not permit the deportation of citizens, courts can revoke naturalization if the government proves the status was obtained fraudulently.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Republican lawmaker is pressing the Department of Justice to examine whether New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should be stripped of his US citizenship and removed from the country, citing concerns about past statements and associations tied to Hamas.

Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee said he has submitted a renewed request to the DOJ for a formal review of Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and New York State assemblyman who became a US citizen in 2018 and also holds Ugandan citizenship.

Ogles first raised the issue in June and now points to additional reporting he says raises questions about whether Mamdani was fully transparent during the naturalization process.

While US law does not permit deportation of citizens, courts can revoke naturalization if the government proves the status was obtained fraudulently.

In a letter, Ogles asked the DOJ to investigate whether Mamdani’s past praise for figures linked to the Holy Land Foundation—whose leaders were convicted in a US terrorism financing case involving ties to Hamas—along with rhetoric sympathetic to anti-Israel and anti-American movements was disclosed as required.

He wrote that safeguarding the integrity of citizenship is essential, particularly for those seeking to lead the public.

Mamdani has faced repeated criticism on the campaign trail for views opponents describe as overly favorable to Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

He has been a sharp critic of Israel’s war conduct in Gaza and once said he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader traveled to New York City.

A New York Post report highlighted that Mamdani, performing under an artist name in 2017, lauded the Holy Land Foundation’s founders in a rap track.