Republicans Propose Move to ‘Denaturalize’ Zohran Mamdani

Multiple U.S. House Republicans are calling to investigate the naturalization of New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, and potentially deport him from the United States.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) last week demanded the feds “review every naturalization of the past 30 years – starting with Mamdani.”

He described Mamdani as “a threat to the nation,” saying, “I know that there’s a lot of us that are very, very concerned about the enemy within – people who have come to this country to become citizens, to destroy it.” He added: “If they’re not Americans, they can’t be in office.”

Fine dismissed the wide-scale logistical concerns about revoking the citizenship of naturalized Americans after they got elected to top jobs.

“If they’re not Americans, they can’t be in office,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has also pressed for a DOJ probe of Mamdani, asserting that when Mamdani became a naturalized citizen in 2018, he “failed to disclose some of the things that he had been doing, one of which was joining the [Democratic] Socialists of America. That’s a communist organization which, quite frankly, at that time, would have disqualified him from becoming a United States citizen.” Ogles went further, branding Mamdani “an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York.”

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is now a U.S. citizen, became naturalized in 2018.

U.S. immigration law makes inadmissible those who “have been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party.” The current application asks naturalization applicants to disclose if they have ever been associated “in any way” with “any Communist or totalitarian party anywhere in the world.”

A DOJ spokesperson, when asked about possible action, responded to The Post: “Due to the Democrats’ shutdown, congressional correspondence is delayed. The department does not comment on the status of ongoing or potential investigations.”

Beyond the citizenship question, Mamdani’s critics point to a record of controversial rhetoric and affiliations that have raised concerns among Republicans and some Democrats alike. (RELATED: Domestic Violence Survivors Slam Zohran Mamdani For Position On Police Response To Abuse Calls)

• On Middle East policy, Mamdani has been openly critical of the state of Israel. An advocacy group noted that the American Jewish Committee recently warned of his “continued use of problematic rhetoric as it relates to Israel and Jews.”
• He has declined to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state,” saying he supports Israel’s right to exist only as a “state with equal rights.” That stance sparked rebuke from Jewish leaders who called it “a dangerous point of view for any elected official.”
• In interviews and past statements, Mamdani has used or refused to distance himself from slogans such as “globalize the intifada,” a phrase critics say is understood by many as incitement to violence or antisemitism. Mamdani described it as “a symbolic call for Palestinian human rights” and said he opposes any incitement to violence.
• Some Democratic lawmakers are also uneasy: for example, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said he is “very concerned” with some of Mamdani’s rhetoric and withheld endorsement.

In a scathing rebuke of Mamdani’s campaign tactics and inexperience The New York Daily News issued a strong warning to voters that Mamdani has proven to be nothing more than a “callow and mealy-mouthed” hack while endorsing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“Zohran Mamdani’s dithering performance in the final mayoral debate pointed up the ongoing problem with his campaign,” The New York Daily News Editorial Board wrote. “It’s a house of cards built on sound bites and laced with antisemitism. But he stumbles and dodges when asked to venture beyond his surface-level focus on affordability and his four, and only four, narrow planks: child care, buses, rent, and grocery stores. It is not only naïve and maddening, but dangerous for a future mayor and points up how unfit he is for the office.”

“But governing is, in the end, about doing and Mamdani has proven himself as callow and mealy-mouthed as any grizzled hack in skirting questions that put him on the spot or actually force him to explain how he might execute on his game plan.”

The board continued, “While Andrew Cuomo has plenty of well-documented flaws, including those that drove him from the governor’s mansion in 2021, a decade as governor proves that he is a competent executive and could well do the job of running the city government.”