CAIR-NY Joins Call for Censure of New York City Council Member Who Called for Expulsion of Muslims from U.S.
(NEW YORK CITY, NY, 11/17/2025) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined calls for the censure of Republican New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino, who recently called for the expulsion of Muslims from the United States.
In a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) Paladino wrote: “We need to take very seriously the need to begin the expulsion of Muslims from western nations, or at the very least the severe sanction of them within western borders. The administration needs to begin developing a formal legal framework for the denaturalization process and get it over with before we end up with another 9/11 or worse. Enough is enough.”
Paladino’s remarks sparked widespread condemnation from elected officials, civil rights advocates, and community leaders across New York City and beyond. Calls for censure have been reported by multiple media outlets following the incident.
In a statement, Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, said:
“An elected official who openly advocates for the expulsion of an entire religious community has no place in public office. Council Member Paladino’s remarks are not only Islamophobic and dehumanizing, they are an echo of some of the darkest chapters of American and world history, when fear and bigotry were used to justify discrimination and state-sanctioned abuse.
“Muslims are an integral part of New York City and the United States. They are teachers, health care workers, first responders, small business owners, and public servants who contribute daily to the safety and prosperity of this nation. Calling for their removal from society is an attack on the fundamental principles of religious freedom, equality, and democracy.”
“We urge the New York City Council to take swift and meaningful action to hold Council Member Paladino accountable and to reaffirm the city’s commitment to protecting the civil rights and dignity of all New Yorkers.”
She noted that other Republican lawmakers nationwide also called for the expulsion of Muslims.
The Washington Post quoted CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, who “attributes much of the resurgence in anti-Muslim rhetoric to mobilization by American Muslims in protest of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza” saying:
“Some of the anti-Muslim conspiracy theories that died out years ago, like Muslims plotting take over America and impose sharia law, or the Muslim Brotherhood secretly controlling all American Muslims … about nine months ago, they all came back in a flood. We certainly do not want to see the progress that American Muslims have made in media, politics and activism and in the courts of law eroded by this wave of hate that we’re seeing.”
CAIR: Some Republican lawmakers call for mass expulsion of American Muslims – Washington Post
SEE ALSO: CAIR: Democrats condemn Republicans calling for Muslim ban on the heels of Australia shooting – The Guardian
CAIR-NY’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com