A growing political storm has erupted after reports surfaced that Republican lawmakers are exploring ways to revoke the U.S. citizenship of New York’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim and immigrant mayor. The effort, driven by a faction of conservative legislators, has sparked a national debate on the limits of naturalization law and the politicization of citizenship rights.
According to sources cited by Al Jazeera and The Washington Post, several Republican members of Congress have begun consultations with legal experts and immigration authorities to determine whether there are grounds to challenge Mamdani’s naturalization. The discussions reportedly center on the claim that the mayor may have made “misrepresentations” during his citizenship process — though no concrete evidence has been presented to the public.
Legal scholars, however, dismiss the likelihood of such an action succeeding. “Revoking citizenship is extraordinarily rare and legally complex,” said Professor Laura Peña, an immigration law expert at Columbia University. “It requires the government to prove deliberate fraud in the individual’s naturalization application — and even then, only after a lengthy judicial process. Political disagreement is not, and cannot be, a valid basis for denaturalization.”
Mamdani, who was born in Kampala, Uganda, and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, became a citizen over two decades ago. His election victory earlier this month — a historic moment for New York City — was hailed as a milestone for diversity and representation. However, it also triggered sharp backlash among right-wing commentators who accused him of harboring “foreign sympathies” due to his vocal advocacy for immigrant rights and his progressive stance on U.S. foreign policy.
“I am a proud American, born of immigrant roots — and nothing can change that,” Mamdani said during a recent press briefing. “Attempts to question my citizenship are not about law or truth; they are about fear and division.”
Legal analysts emphasize that denaturalization cases in the U.S. are exceedingly uncommon, typically involving individuals linked to war crimes, terrorism, or proven fraud — not elected officials engaged in legitimate political activity.
Civil rights organizations have condemned the investigation as an attack on democratic values. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a statement warning that weaponizing citizenship laws against political figures sets a dangerous precedent. “This is not about one man — it’s about the future of equal citizenship in America,” the ACLU said.
As of now, no formal legal motion has been filed against Mayor Mamdani, and federal officials have declined to comment on the political discussions. Still, the episode underscores the deepening polarization in U.S. politics, where questions of identity, loyalty, and belonging are once again at the center of national discourse.
