Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) open an investigation into whether New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani should be subject to denaturalization proceedings.
Ogles requested that Mamdani be investigated under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a) on the grounds that he “may have procured U.S. citizenship through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.”
Zohran "little muhammad" Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings.
Attached is my letter to @AGPamBondi. pic.twitter.com/RWCZm67VOr
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) June 26, 2025
In the letter to Bondi, Ogles (pictured above, right) pointed to a resurfaced lyric from Mamdani, in which he rapped, “Free the Holy Land Five / My guys.”
Ogles pointed out how The Holy Land Foundation and its leaders were convicted in 2008 for providing financial support to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, and that Mamdani’s public praise of the individuals raises red flags about potential undisclosed affiliations that would have disqualified him from citizenship.
“Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership as “my guys” raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process,” Ogles said.
While acknowledging the potential First Amendment concerns considering Mamdani recited rap lyrics, Ogles stressed that expressive speech can be relevant in determining whether a naturalization applicant concealed ties to extremist groups.
Ogles went on to suggest that Mamdani’s statements warrant further inquiry to determine whether they point to deeper involvement, such as participation in fundraising, advocacy, or affiliation that he was legally obligated to reveal during his citizenship process.
“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 explained.
Ogles further expressed concern with Mamdani’s refusal to denounce slogans like “globalize the intifada,” a phrase the Tennessee congressman argued promotes violence against Americans and civilians worldwide.
Considering this, as well as earlier expressions of support for individuals convicted of supporting terrorism, Ogles said a concerning pattern emerges and insisted that the integrity of the naturalization process relies on honest disclosures and that failing to act undermines national security and public trust.
“The naturalization process depends on the good-faith disclosure of any affiliation with, or support for, groups that threaten U.S. national security. If Mr. Mamdani concealed relevant associations, that concealment may constitute a material misrepresentation sufficient to support denaturalization under federal law,” Ogles said.
“The federal government must uphold public trust by ensuring that citizenship is not granted under false pretenses. I respectfully urge the Department of Justice to determine whether Mr. Mamdani’s conduct prior to naturalization warrants formal review under applicable law,” Ogles’ letter concluded.
Mamdani won the Democratic primary Tuesday night in the New York City mayoral race, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo by more than 7 percentage points.
As a self-described socialist, Mamdani would become New York’s first Muslim mayor if elected.
Born in Uganda to ethnically Indian parents, Mamdani came to New York at the age of seven and was naturalized as an American citizen in 2018.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Zohran Kwame Mamdani” by Zohran Kwame Mamdani and “Rep Andy Ogles” by Rep. Andy Ogles.
Mamdani, like our Nashville Mayor, is a member of the Democrat Socialists of America. The name is a nice way of saying Communist. The Left is expert at using language to hide their agenda.
Mamdani has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, but so does Obama. Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization. Why aren’t we investigating Obama? Obama gave IRAN a Billion dollars in cash. He should be prosecuted for using American tax dollars in such a criminal transaction.
Mamdani lies to his followers, which is encouraged by the Kuran, when it comes to getting stupid, rich (educated infidels) to believe you can get free everything without someone paying for it.
The ignorance is astonishing. Do they not teach history in schools anymore? Should be required classes & books of how many societies have failed due to Socialism. Most starved to death.
It’s just Mind Blowing.
I’m talking to Nashvillians.
We have a Communist in our Mayor’s office, who has been preceded by multiple Marxists & Socialists before him.
STOP BELIEVING THE BS LIES.