The controversy swells to the United States after President Donald Trump and some of his allies openly mentioned the idea of withdrawing American citizenship from Elon Musk and Zohran Mamdani, both naturalized.
The question, as shocking as it may be, is now asked: can a president legally deprive two figures as emblematic as the South African entrepreneur and the young New Yorker of Ugandan origin?
For observers who followed Mamdani’s political ascent and stormy relations between Trump and Musk, this new presidential outing hardly surprises. Mamdani, left-wing activist and fervent support from the Palestinian cause, is accused by some Republican elected officials of having concealed “pro-terrorist” positions at the time of his naturalization. As for Musk, formerly close to Trump, he is now criticized for his attacks on the new federal budget which removes tax advantages in Tesla.
Trump said that “Elon may well have to return to South Africa” if his businesses do not survive without subsidies. On Mamdani, he quipped: “If he prevents the ICE agents from doing their job, we may have to stop him. »»
Republican representative Andy Ogles went further by demanding the opening of a denaturalization procedure against Mamdani, citing his statements of support for the “Holy Land Five”, sentenced to funding from Hamas.
However, the experts are formal: denaturalization is a extremely rare procedure, strictly framed by law. It can only be envisaged if nationality has been obtained by manifest fraud or voluntary concealment of major information.
Michael Kagan, professor of law at the University of Nevada, believes that Trump’s words are more of a political tactic than a serious legal basis: “It is rhetoric of intimidation, nothing more. »»
Historically, cases of forfeiture have targeted individuals involved in war crimes, terrorism or pedocrime, and not political opponents or entrepreneurs.
The fact remains that this sequence recalls the dark hours of the MacCarthysm, where nationality could be used as a political weapon. For Mamdani, the threat is clear: “Trump wants to stop me, falling from my citizenship and deporting me. Not because I have broken the law, but because I oppose the terror of state. »»
The question remains: is American citizenship an inalienable right or a revocable privilege according to political winds?
