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By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
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A Republican congressman has called for an investigation into the citizenship status of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Florida Representative Randy Fine wrote on X that "we have clearly suffered from massive naturalization fraud," claiming that some immigrants "swore an oath to America but clearly came to destroy it."
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991. His family later immigrated to the United States, and he was raised in New York City. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018.
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Newsweek has contacted Mamdani for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
The demand marks the latest instance of Republicans questioning Mamdani’s right to be in the U.S.—part of a broader pattern in which conservative figures have called for his citizenship to be reviewed or revoked.
Such attacks have become a recurring tactic used against Mamdani, a progressive Muslim lawmaker who has represented New York's 36th District, which includes Astoria and Long Island City in Queens, in the state assembly for the past five years.
The comments underscore how anti-Muslim rhetoric has seeped further into mainstream political discourse.
What To Know
In his post, Fine said it was "time to go back and review every naturalization of the past 30 years, starting with Mamdani, Omar, and Hasan—and where fraud is found, denaturalize and deport." He was referring to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, and journalist Mehdi Hasan, who was born in the UK, both of whom are Muslim.
The comments came in response to a post on X by Hasan, who wrote: "One in three of the slaves who built this country were Muslims. They were here long before the Walsh family arrived. You'd know that if you’d studied history—but I know MAGA has an issue with studying. Oh, and I am guessing you don’t count slaves as people, or Americans."
The exchange began when conservative commentator Matt Walsh responded to a video of Hasan defending the Islamic call to prayer, writing: "Christianity built this country."
It is not the first time Fine has attacked Mamdani's roots. Earlier this month, Fine, a Jewish Republican who represents a district in Florida, referred to Mamdani on X as "little more than a Muslim terrorist" and said he should be "deported to the Ugandan s**thole he came from."
In response, a coalition of Muslim organizations across New York called on the state’s congressional delegation to take a public stand against what it described as "rising Islamophobia" in Congress, accusing Fine of a "racist and Islamophobic attack" on Mamdani.
"This rhetoric is not only Islamophobic and xenophobic but unmistakably anti-Black," the letter said, arguing that Fine’s comments echoed "colonial language once used to dehumanize African and immigrant communities."
Meanwhile, Republican figures have repeatedly questioned Mamdani's citizenship status. The attacks have focused on his Muslim faith and outspoken criticism of U.S. support for Israel.
In June, Republican Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee urged the Department of Justice to investigate whether Mamdani had "procured U.S. citizenship through willful misrepresentation," citing lyrics from Mamdani’s old rap songs as alleged evidence of links to groups convicted of funding terrorism. Ogles went further on social media, calling Mamdani an "antisemitic, socialist, communist" who "needs to be deported," and demanding that he be subjected to denaturalization proceedings.
In the same month, New York City Council Member and fellow Republican Vickie Paladino also called for Mamdani to be deported. "Let’s just talk about how insane it is to elect someone to any major office who hasn’t even been a U.S. citizen for 10 years—much less a radical leftist who actually hates everything about the country and is here specifically to undermine everything we’ve ever been about," she said.
Mamdani responded to her on X, writing: "Like nearly 40% of all New Yorkers, I wasn’t born in this country. I moved here at age 7. It’s my home. And I’m proud to be a citizen, which means standing up for our Constitution. Councilmember Paladino might consider reading it."
The New York Young Republican Club, whose members are Republicans in Manhattan aged 18 to 40, also posted on X that Mamdani’s citizenship should be revoked under the Communist Control Act, urging that he be "promptly deported." The group described him as a "radical" threat to New York City.
In July, President Donald Trump weighed in, saying "a lot of people are saying he’s here illegally" and that his administration "would look at everything," according to Politico. Trump later suggested that Mamdani could face arrest if he pursued policies limiting immigration enforcement.
Following Trump's remarks, Mamdani issued a post on X stating: "The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city."
Denaturalization in the United States is exceedingly rare and can only occur if an individual is proven to have lied during the naturalization process or concealed material facts.
What Happens Next
There is no indication that any formal investigation into Mamdani’s citizenship is underway.
Mamdani has continued his campaign for New York mayor, and is currently leading rivals former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, in the polls.
The general election for the New York City mayor’s race is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
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