A U.S. Congressman has formally petitioned the Department of Justice to investigate New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani over concerns that he may have concealed affiliations with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses during his naturalization process.
In a June 26 letter, addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Congressman cited Mamdani’s public praise of the “Holy Land Five,” a group convicted in 2008 for providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Mamdani, according to a June 21 New York Post report, previously performed a rap that referenced the convicted men as “my guys,” which the letter argues may signal deeper, undisclosed sympathies or ties.
The Congressman urged the Justice Department to consider initiating denaturalization proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a), which allows revocation of U.S. citizenship obtained through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts.
“Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership… raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose,” the letter states.
The letter also noted Mamdani’s refusal to distance himself from slogans such as “globalize the intifada,” describing it as a call for expanding violent attacks on civilians globally, including in the United States.
While acknowledging potential First Amendment concerns around political speech and artistic expression, the Congressman emphasized that expressive conduct—particularly if it suggests glorification of or connection to terror-linked entities—should not shield individuals from accountability if it affects legal eligibility for citizenship.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and state assemblyman, has not publicly responded to the letter or the specific allegations.