Trump Administration Raises Possibility of Stripping Mamdani of US Citizenship over Pro-Palestine Views and Muslim Identity

New York City (Quds News Network)- The Trump administration has raised the possibility of stripping Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York, of his US citizenship over his Muslim identity and pro-Palestine views. Muslim Americans in New York and across the US said the country is seeing a spike in Islamophobic rhetoric in response to Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primaries.

Andy Ogles, a rightwing Republican congressman for Tennessee, called for his citizenship to be revoked on the grounds that he may have concealed his support for “terrorism” during the naturalization process.

Mamdani, 33, who was born in Uganda to ethnic Indian parents, became a US citizen in 2018 and has attracted widespread media attention, and controversy, over his vocal support for Palestinian rights and opposition to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Controversy over his immigration status follows a chorus of Islamophobic attacks on his Muslim faith following his apparent victory in last week’s New York mayoral primary, when he finished first in a field that included Andrew Cuomo, the former New York state governor.

Ogles wrote to Pam Bondi, the attorney general calling for an investigation into Mamdani after his Democratic mayoral primary victory on the grounds that “he may have procured US citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.”

He cited a rap song by Mamdani, entitled “My love to the Holy Land five, in which he called members of a foundation allegedly convicted of supporting Hamas “my guys”. He also referred to Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”.

In an accompanying post on X, Ogles wrote: “Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be deported.”

Congressman Randy Fine went as far as to suggest without evidence that Mamdani will install a “caliphate” in New York City if elected.

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn attacked the mayoral candidate, arguing that Islam is a political ideology and “not a religion”.

Others, like conservative activist Charlie Kirk invoked the 9/11 attacks and called Mamdani a “Muslim Maoist” while right-wing commentator Angie Wong told CNN that people in New York are “concerned about their safety, living here with a Muslim mayor”.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a Trump confidant, referred to the mayoral candidate as a “jihadist Muslim”, baselessly alleging that he has ties to both Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.

On Sunday, Congressman Brandon Gill posted a video of Mamdani eating biryani with his hand and called on him “to go back to the Third World”, saying that “civilized people” in the US “don’t eat like this”.

Asked about Ogles’s call, Leavitt said: “I have not seen those claims, but surely if they are true, it’s something that should be investigated.”

Trump himself attacked Mamdani, calling him “a pure communist”and has threatened to cut off funds to New York if Mamdani becomes mayor and “doesn’t behave himself”.

At a news conference, Trump reiterated his communist remark and referred to allegations that Mamdani had obtained his citizenship “illegally”.

“We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation. We send him money, we send him all the things that he needs to run a government,” Trump said.

“We’re going to be watching that very carefully. A lot of people are saying, he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything, but ideally, he’s going to turn out to be much less than a communist. Right now he’s a communist, that’s not a socialist.”

Trump also insulted him as a “lunatic” and “terrible”.

“Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday.

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, called the demand to denaturalize Mamdani “racist bullshit”.

“Trump will stop at nothing to protect billionaires and price gouging corporations, even racist bullshit like this,” he wrote.

“Zohran won because he ran a campaign laser focused on putting power back in the hands of working people. And that’s a threat to the Mar-a-Lago crowd.”

“We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary – some blatant, others latent,” US Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement.

“Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.”

Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday posted a statement on X from Muslim American members of Congress condemning Ogle’s “anti-Muslim” attacks. “The vile, anti-Muslim and racists smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence,” the statement read. The statement was signed on to by Tlaib, Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Lateefah Simon, and Congressman Andre Carson.

Our joint statement on the vile, anti-Muslim, racist attacks on Zohran Mamdani: pic.twitter.com/QRGOvh0jdG

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) June 27, 2025

Mamdani’s support for Palestinian rights also took centre stage in the criticism against him. Mamdani has long been a vocal critic of the Israeli occupation government and its treatment of Palestinians. In 2023, he introduced a bill to end the tax-exempt status of New York charities with ties to Israeli settlements that violate international human rights law. He has sharply criticized Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and has voiced support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at the civil rights and advocacy organisation Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) said the attacks on Mamdani were part of an entrenched decades-long perspective on Muslims: “The anti-Muslim bigotry that has erupted online in the wake of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary is as dishonest as it is dangerous.”

He added that it was “nothing new” to the American-Muslim community.

“The politicians, influencers and hate groups unleashing a wave of irrational Islamophobic talking points are weaponising the same tactics that have been used for decades to manipulate Americans into fearing any Muslims engaged in political life,” he added.

“Islamophobia is the last widely accepted form of bigotry in American political life, and this must change before it leads to more discrimination and threats of violence against American Muslims pursuing public office”.

Mamdani even faced death threats, with his office receiving voicemails including a threat to blow up his car. Mamdani teared up when speaking of the impact of such attacks during his campaign, saying he had received a message saying, “The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim”.