Republicans push to revoke Mamdani's US citizenship — but can they?

After Zohran Mamdani's decisive victory in the New York City mayoral election — making him the city's first Muslim and South Asian mayor-elect — several Republican politicians in Washington have vowed to block him from taking office.

US President Donald Trump, who had earlier threatened to withhold federal funds from New York City if Mamdani won, amplified false claims about Mamdani's citizenship and labeled the Ugandan-born 34-year-old a communist, reports Al Jazeera.

A number of Republican lawmakers have since called for investigations into Mamdani's naturalisation process, demanding that his US citizenship be revoked and that he be deported — without presenting any evidence. They have accused him of sympathising with communists and "terrorist" groups.

"If Mamdani lied on his naturalisation documents, he doesn't get to be a citizen — and he certainly doesn't get to be mayor of New York City," Republican Representative Andy Ogles said in an 29 October news release. "A great American city is on the verge of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology."

Ogles urged US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Mamdani's citizenship, adding: "The naturalisation system requires applicants to disclose any communist or terrorist affiliations. I doubt he did. If that's confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda."

Florida Representative Randy Fine made similar remarks on Newsmax on 27 October, falsely claiming Mamdani "just moved here eight years ago" and suggesting he did not meet the criteria for US citizenship.

However, PolitiFact found no credible evidence to support any of these claims.

Born in Uganda, Mamdani moved to the United States with his family in 1998 at age seven and became a US citizen in 2018. Under US law, adults must generally live continuously in the country as lawful permanent residents for at least five years — or three years if married to a US citizen — before applying for naturalisation.

Experts say the chances of Mamdani losing his citizenship are exceedingly slim. Denaturalisation — the process of revoking citizenship — can occur only through a judicial order, and historically it has been reserved for rare cases, such as former Nazis or individuals convicted of terrorism.

"Denaturalisation is an extreme and rare remedy," said immigration lawyer Jeremy McKinney. "The government must prove illegal procurement or a willful, material misrepresentation — with clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that it would have changed the outcome at the time of naturalisation. I've seen no credible proof that applies here."