Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) is calling on the Justice Department to denaturalize and deport New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over his comments about Hamas.
The lawmaker sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to launch an investigation “into whether Zohran Kwame Mamdani, currently a candidate for Mayor of New York City, should be subject to denaturalization proceedings…on the grounds that he may have procured U.S. citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.”
Ogles cited a New York Post report in which the candidate “expressed open solidarity with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses prior to becoming a U.S. citizen” in a rap song.
“Free the Holy Land Five / My guys,” Mamdani rapped in the song. The letter pointed out that the Holy Land Foundation was “convicted in 2008 for providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
While I understand that some may raise First Amendment concerns about taking legal action based on expressive conduct, such as rap lyrics, speech alone does not preclude accountability where it reasonably suggests underlying conduct relevant to eligibility for naturalization. If an individual publicly glorifies a group convicted of financing terrorism, 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—that would have required disclosure on Form N-400 or during a naturalization interview.
Ogles further pointed out that Mamdani “refused opportunities to reject the pro-terrorist rallying cry to 'globalize the intifada, ' which the lawmaker claimed was 'a call to expand violent attacks on civilians to the United States and around the world.”
He concluded by arguing that “The naturalization process depends on the good-faith disclosure of any affiliation with, or support for, groups that threaten U.S. national security.”
Check this out! A letter sent to Pam Bondi from Representative Andy Ogles concerning Zohan Mamdani misrepresentations when becoming a U.S citizen. He was involved with a terrorists organization that funneled money to Hamas. He was also a member of Democrat Socialists, a… pic.twitter.com/faqbjXNUqa
— Colette Harrington (@sweetcarolinatv) October 25, 2025
In a Monday post on X, Ogles accused Mamdani of trying to “turn America into an Islamic theocracy.”
This man came to America for one reason: to turn America into an Islamic theocracy.
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) October 27, 2025
I say NO to Sharia law—which is why I’ve presented an argument to have Mamdani sent back to Uganda based on information he clearly withheld.
I’m fighting to take our country back. DOJ must… pic.twitter.com/Mjybj6yQsz
Denaturalizing Mamdani is a long shot. The Justice Department would have to find evidence that he candidate concealed important information that could have affected his ability to become naturalized. This would mean that the DOJ would need more than just controversial statements or expressions of political views.
Under the Supreme Court’s ruling in Maslenjak v. United States, any false statement must be “material,” meaning that it helped the individual gain citizenship or would have led investigators to reject an applicant if it were made known.