🚨 Credible, Respected Republicans Are Seriously Discussing How to Deport Zohran Mamdani

I actually believe they are dead serious. This is something that is completely on brand for them.

Quick note before we dive in: If you come here because I tell the truth others won’t—that I put law, receipts, and conscience in one place and keep it free for the world—this piece is for you. I’m going to explain, in plain English, why the “deport Mamdani” talk is lawless, dangerous, and not hypothetical. If this kind of journalism matters to you, please consider becoming a member so I can keep doing it without a paywall.

Earlier today, Politico Magazine published an interview with Steve Bannon, former Chief Strategist of the White House, and one of the most respected men in the Trump orbit, reacting to Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory in the New York City mayoral race. In it, Bannon called for a federal fishing expedition into the mayor-elect’s citizenship:

“I think tomorrow… this guy’s citizenship should be checked immediately.”
“If the guy lied on his naturalization papers, he ought to be deported… put on a plane to Uganda.”
“I would get DHS, the State Department and the Justice Department looking immediately at Mamdani, who I am convinced did not get citizenship in a fair and honest way…”

This isn’t anonymous trolls. Members of Congress and well-known business figures have already primed this lie—posting 9/11 footage, calling Zohran a “jihadist,” and warning New Yorkers a terrorist attack would return if he won. Several have been saying for weeks that Mamdani should be deported. Now that he has won—and crossed 50 percent in a three-person race—what are everyday conservatives supposed to do with those lies? Ignore them? Or act on them?

That’s the danger here. Leadership-level lies become permission structures. It only takes one person to “prevent” the nightmare their leaders promised. Do you hear what I’m saying?

Let’s do what the big platforms won’t. Let’s lay out the law, the precedent, and the standard—and then say plainly what this is: an attempt to overturn an election by slander and to put a target on a Muslim neighbor’s back.

I’m actually angry that nothing like this is being discussed properly in the mainstream media.

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The law: You cannot deport a U.S. citizen

• Citizenship is constitutional. In Afroyim v. Rusk (1967), the Supreme Court held the government cannot stripcitizenship without the citizen’s consent. Vance v. Terrazas (1980) reaffirmed it: loss of nationality requires intentto relinquish it.

• Denaturalization is extraordinary and narrow. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1451, the government can bring a civildenaturalization case only with clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence of willful, material fraud in procuring naturalization. See Schneiderman v. United States (1943), Fedorenko v. United States (1981), Kungys v. United States (1988).

• Material means outcome-changing. In Maslenjak v. United States (2017), the Court was explicit: a misstatement must be material to eligibility—it must actually matter to the decision. Minor errors or political views don’t qualify.

• Speech is not grounds. Punishing political views with denationalization is unconstitutional—Trop v. Dulles (1958) condemned denationalization as a cruel and unusual punishment.

• Officeholders aren’t “checked.” Being mayor-elect or taking policy positions does not create deportability. Ever.

Bottom line: Mamdani is a U.S. citizen. Citizens are not “checked for deportation.” The only path to strip citizenship runs through a narrow civil case in federal court with exacting proof of material fraud. Political disagreement is not fraud. Saying otherwise is lawless.

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The precedent: Backlash follows progress—and bigotry looks for a costume

Every time America widens the circle and breaks new ground, reactionaries try to shrink it back—first with narratives, then with procedures, then with punishment. After emancipation came Redemption and lynch law. After Brown v. Board came massive resistance. After the Civil Rights Act came COINTELPRO and the carceral turn. After Obama’s election came birtherism and a racialized Tea Party wave that midwifed Trump.

Today’s costume is familiar: Muslim + power = danger. Cue the 9/11 clips; say “jihadist”; then float deportation—not because the law allows it, but because terror priming turns a political opponent into an existential threat.

Let’s also be honest about the hypocrisy. Trump’s own wife is a naturalized citizen. So is one of his loudest boosters, Elon Musk. The issue isn’t naturalization. It’s weaponizing the concept against a Muslim New Yorker who smashed a machine with over one million votes. If your problem were immigrants, you wouldn’t marry them, hire them, and be funded by them. This isn’t about principle. It’s about permission.

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The standard: When leaders lie, someone gets hurt

When powerful people repeat a lie often enough, some follower decides to act on it. That’s the logic of stochastic terror: no direct order—just enough apocalyptic fear that someone fills in the blank.

• Members of Congress and CEOs posted 9/11 imagery to smear a Muslim candidate.

• A marquee surrogate called to “check citizenship,” to denaturalize, to “put him on a plane.”

• Now that he has won, their followers must choose: either their leaders lied or there’s a “jihadist” in City Hall.

That’s not “politics as usual.” That’s a public-safety risk. And it is on leadership to clean up the mess they made—publicly.

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What responsible people should do today

Withdraw and apologize. If you posted 9/11 clips or called Zohran a “jihadist,” take it down and say you were wrong. Tell your audience not to act on that lie.

Respect the law. Stop pretending you can deport a U.S. citizen. You cannot. If you care about “the rule of law,” act like it.

Let the city govern. New Yorkers voted for rent-freeze mechanics, fast and free buses, universal child care, and safety with dignity. Measure the mayor-elect on delivery, not on fake loyalty tests.

Now I am realistic. None of those are going to happen. I actually think Republicans are going to do everything they can to deport this man.

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Facts no one can spin

• Citizens can’t be deported. Denaturalization requires clear, unequivocal, and convincing proof of material fraud (Schneiderman, Maslenjak).

• Speech isn’t a crime. Political views don’t trigger denationalization (Trop, Afroyim).

• The mandate is real. Turnout exceeded two million; Mamdani cleared one million votes and over 50% in a three-way race—first since 1969 to top a million for mayor.

• The hypocrisy is obvious. Trump’s spouse and key allies are naturalized. This was never about naturalization—it’s about malice.

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I’ll end with this: you cannot love America and threaten neighbors with lawless exile. You cannot claim to defend the Constitution while using 9/11 to smear a Muslim citizen the voters just chose to lead their city. If you care about the country, prove it—retract the lie you told.

If you want me to keep documenting the lies and tracking the delivery that makes them powerless—rent freeze steps, bus lanes enforced, child-care slots added—help me keep this free. Become a member or, if you can, join monthly, annually, or as a founding member. Bigotry flourishes in the dark; it dies in the light—and in a city that works better than yesterday for everyone.

Love and appreciate each of you.
Your Friend and Brother,
Shaun

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