Republican Calls for Mamdani's Deportation

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) called on the Justice Department to investigate whether New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani should be stripped of his U.S. citizenship following his win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Ogles said the DOJ should determine whether Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, “may have procured U.S. citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.”

The congressman provided evidence, including a New York Post report on Mamdani rapping the lyrics: “Free the Holy Land Free/ My guys.” The Holy Land Foundation was convicted of providing support to the terrorist organization Hamas. Ogles said Mamdani’s actions raise “serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process.”

Other evidence included Mamdani not denouncing the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

“While I understand that some may raise First Amendment concerns about taking legal action based on expressive conduct … it is entirely appropriate for federal authorities to inquire whether that individual engaged in non-public forms of support — such as organizational affiliation, fundraising, or advocacy” required to be disclosed in a naturalization form, Ogles said.

In his post announcing his letter to the DOJ, Ogles said Mamdani should be deported, making the Tennessee Republican one of the first members to publicly call for such an action. New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who also serves as the GOP minority whip, posted on June 3 that it is “insane” to elect someone to a major office “who hasn’t even been a US citizen for ten years … Deport.”

Her office later said Mamdani is “clearly not eligible” for deportation but “likely would have been removed” if he hadn’t been a citizen due to his alleged past ties to antisemitic organizations.

After Mamdani’s surprise victory in the mayoral primary, congressional Republicans and conservative voices were quick to denounce the socialist and suggest that his win highlights that “BOTH illegal and immigration can ruin your country.”

“It’s not just the open border, it’s also our suicidal mass LEGAL migration policies bringing in over 1 million people a year: green cards, chain migration, refugee resettlement, anchor babies, and asylum scams,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk posted on X. “This all needs to be ended.”

“NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration,” White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a post, amplified by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) shared a photo of Mamdani meeting with faith leaders.

“After 9/11 we said ‘Never Forget.’ I think we sadly have forgotten,” Mace wrote.

House Democrats have quickly leaped on the Republicans’ responses to Mamdani’s win, calling them “blatantly racist.”

“This gives up the game,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner. “He’s not a criminal. He’s not a danger to anyone. And the fact that they’re saying this gives up the entire game, that what they want is to keep out black and brown people who actually are able to move people to action, that’s what this is about.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) echoed Balint in a response to Kirk’s post.

“There it is. For years they sold people the lie of ‘we have no problem if you come the right way!’ But we’ve always seen right through it that BS. They’re … racists. That’s it,” Frost wrote.