Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) is continuing his push for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into whether New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani should be subject to denaturalization proceedings.
Mamdani, a self-described socialist and Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, is favored to become the first Muslim mayor of America’s largest city in the November 4 election, recent polling suggests.
Ogles sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in June urging the DOJ to investigate whether Mamdani should face denaturalization proceedings.
In the letter, Ogles cited Mamdani’s alleged ties to and outspoken support for terrorist organizations, noting that the U.S. naturalization process requires applicants to disclose any affiliations with communism or terrorist activities.
Among the examples Ogles cited in his initial letter included a resurfaced lyric sung by 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.
Now, with less than a week to go before the November 4 general election, Ogles is demanding an update to whether or not the DOJ will investigate Mamdani per his earlier request.
🚨 DEPORT MAMDANI UPDATE
I have just sent another letter to @AGPamBondi urging her to investigate Zohran Mamdani’s naturalization documents.
Mamdani could very well be made mayor of NYC in less than two weeks. We have no time to waste. In 2017, he was a public supporter of the… pic.twitter.com/qLGXudLxEA
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) October 28, 2025
In a letter sent to Bondi on Tuesday, Ogles emphasized how new reporting into Mamdani in wake of his last letter has “raised further questions” about the mayoral candidate’s past statements and associations, including his “refusal to disavow violent anti-American rhetoric and continued public praise for individuals convicted of providing material support to Hamas.”
Ogles said these new developments “suggest a broader pattern of conduct inconsistent with the oath of allegiance required of new citizens.”
“I again urge the Department to open a formal investigation into whether Mr. Mamdani’s public expressions of support for the Holy Land Foundation’s convicted leadership, and his ongoing rhetoric sympathetic to anti-Israel and anti-U.S. movements, were disclosed as required during his naturalization. Failure to disclose such affiliations would constitute a material misrepresentation under federal law,” the Tennessee congressman wrote in Tuesday’s letter.
Ogles added that the American people “expect equal enforcement of our immigration laws, particularly when potential ties to designated terrorist organizations are involved.”
“No individual, regardless of political office or public profile, should be shielded from accountability if credible evidence indicates deception or concealment during the citizenship process,” he said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
