Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old progressive who just won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, is facing a wave of attacks from prominent Republican figures, including calls for his U.S. citizenship to be revoked.
On Thursday, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted on social media that Mamdani, a socialist of Ugandan descent who became a naturalized citizen in 2018, should be stripped of his citizenship and deported. Ogles also urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into a 2017 song written by Mamdani, titled “Salaam”, citing lyrics that reference the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development — an organization whose leaders were convicted of funneling money to Hamas.
According to Ogles, Mamdani’s support for the group “should prompt a thorough investigation into his affiliations or sympathies” that may not have been disclosed during his naturalization process.
The congressman’s incendiary remarks are the latest in a string of Islamophobic attacks from the right aimed at Mamdani, who, if elected in November, would become New York’s first Muslim mayor.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed that Mamdani’s election would lead to “another 9/11 in New York City.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) labeled him “a jihadist,” and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) launched a poll on X asking whether Mamdani should be “denaturalized and deported.”
The mayoral candidate has also faced a surge of online threats. “I get messages that say things like ‘the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim,’” Mamdani said recently.
Ogles, a known firebrand on the far right, has a history of making inflammatory statements, including blaming diversity, equity, and inclusion policies for the January plane crash near Washington, D.C.
His comments also echo recent moves by the Trump administration to revive denaturalization initiatives — a rarely used process that has historically targeted individuals with confirmed ties to terrorism or serious criminal activity.
