Mtp.GOP Lawmakers Escalate War on NYC Mayoral Frontrunner: Calls to Strip Zohran Mamdani’s Citizenship Ignite National Firestorm
GOP Lawmakers Escalate War on NYC Mayoral Frontrunner: Calls to Strip Zohran Mamdani’s Citizenship Ignite National Firestorm
By Grok News Desk November 3, 2025 – New York City
In a stunning escalation of partisan warfare just hours before New Yorkers head to the polls, two firebrand House Republicans are demanding the Trump administration strip presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani of his U.S. citizenship—a move that could upend his frontrunner status and thrust the city into uncharted legal territory. The extraordinary push, framed by critics as a blatant weaponization of federal power against a political rival, has transformed a local election into a national flashpoint on immigration, free speech, and the fragility of American belonging.
At the center of the storm is Mamdani, the 34-year-old Queens assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist who surged to victory in the Democratic primary last June with a bold vision for affordable housing and progressive reform. Born in Uganda to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, he immigrated to the U.S. as a child, navigating the immigrant hustle of New York with a rap album under his belt before entering politics. Naturalized in 2018 after years of community organizing, Mamdani holds dual citizenship with Uganda—a fact his detractors now wield like a political cudgel.
The accusations stem from a single line on his naturalization form: Did he fail to disclose his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the progressive group he’s proudly championed since college? Reps. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), both vocal MAGA allies, say yes—and they’re urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch a formal denaturalization probe. “Zohran Mamdani despises this country and is working to undermine it,” Ogles thundered in a recent X post, echoing his June letter to the DOJ that labeled the candidate an “antisemitic, socialist, communist.” Fine went further, calling for a sweeping audit of naturalizations dating back 30 years, “starting with Mamdani,” and branding him part of an “enemy within” bent on destruction.
Denaturalization, a relic of McCarthy-era hunts for Nazis and communists, is no idle threat under the current administration. The DOJ has ramped up such cases, targeting fraud in citizenship applications with a zeal that echoes President Trump’s mass deportation promises. Legal experts, however, warn the bar is sky-high: Prosecutors must prove “willful misrepresentation” of material facts, and the DSA—a mainstream organization that elects lawmakers and endorses candidates like Bernie Sanders—is no “totalitarian party” under immigration law. “This isn’t about fraud; it’s about silencing dissent,” said one immigration attorney, speaking anonymously amid fears of backlash. If successful, Mamdani could face deportation to Uganda, derailing his campaign overnight and testing the limits of First Amendment protections for political affiliations.
Mamdani, undeterred and leading polls by double digits over rivals like former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, has turned the attacks into rocket fuel. At a fiery rally outside a Bronx mosque last Friday, he wiped away tears recounting his family’s post-9/11 trauma—how his aunt, veiled in her hijab, abandoned the subway out of fear. (A conservative outlet later questioned the story’s veracity, claiming the aunt lived in Tanzania at the time, but Mamdani’s raw authenticity resonated with immigrant communities.) “These racist, baseless attacks won’t break me,” he declared to cheers. “Like nearly 40% of New Yorkers, I wasn’t born here—but this is my home, and I’ll fight for it like every other New Yorker.”
The onslaught isn’t isolated. Since clinching the nomination, Mamdani has weathered a barrage: Elon Musk dubbing him the “future of the Democratic Party” in a weekend X thread, the New York Young Republican Club labeling him a “communist radical” unfit for office, and even Trump himself baselessly calling him an “illegal immigrant.” Ogles, relentless on social media, has posted videos envisioning “mass deportations” to preempt more “subversive immigrants” like Mamdani from ever gaining citizenship. Fine, a Trump fundraiser with a history of inflammatory rhetoric, dismissed logistical hurdles: “Citizenship should mean something,” he posted, waving off concerns about revoking rights post-election.
For Mamdani’s supporters, it’s a page from the authoritarian playbook—echoing Trump’s threats against opponents like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, whom Fine lumped in with Mamdani as denaturalization targets. Civil liberties groups like the ACLU have sounded alarms, warning of a “chilling effect” on naturalized citizens who dare to criticize power. “This is how democracies erode: by turning citizenship into a loyalty test,” said one advocate. On the right, it’s hailed as accountability; Ogles celebrated Trump’s DOJ directive on denaturalizing “liars” as a green light for Mamdani’s ouster.
As early voting wraps today and Election Day dawns Tuesday, the saga underscores a divided America: a city on the brink of its first socialist mayor, grappling with skyrocketing rents and subway woes, now shadowed by D.C.’s long arm. Will voters see Mamdani as a threat or a trailblazer? One thing’s clear: In the Big Apple, even the path to City Hall runs through the fever swamps of national politics.
Mamdani’s team dismissed the latest DOJ letter from Ogles as “desperate electioneering,” vowing to press on. Polls show him cruising toward victory, but with the federal gaze upon him, the real verdict may come not from ballots, but from courtrooms yet to convene. In a nation born of immigrants, the question lingers: How far will we go to police who gets to call it home?
