MIAMI — Federal authorities are searching for to strip former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime of his U.S. citizenship, alleging he obtained his naturalization by a multi-year marketing campaign of id fraud and immigration misrepresentation.
In a 13-page civil grievance filed by the U.S. Division of Justice, or DOJ, the federal government contends that Bien-Aime is definitely the identical particular person beforehand ordered deported below the identify Philippe Janvier, NBC6 reported.
In keeping with the grievance, an immigration decide dominated on July 31, 2000, that Janvier entered the U.S. utilizing a fraudulent passport with a switched photograph. Regardless of a proper order for his removing to Haiti, federal officers say there isn’t any report indicating he ever departed the nation as required.
The DOJ additional alleges that Bien-Aime’s subsequent path to citizenship was constructed on a collection of willful misrepresentations:
- Identification fraud: The federal government asserts that DHS information and fingerprint comparisons affirm Philippe Bien-Aime and Philippe Janvier are the identical individual.
- Marital ineligibility: Authorities declare Bien-Aime was by no means eligible for a spousal visa as a result of his marriage to a U.S. citizen was invalid.
- Bigamy: The grievance accuses Bien-Aime of bigamy, alleging that the Haitian divorce certificates he offered to immigration officers was counterfeit and fraudulent.
The Justice Division filed a civil grievance to revoke the U.S. citizenship of former North Miami mayor, Philippe Bien-Aime, alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization by concealing materials details about his previous. The case underscores that U.S. citizenship is a… pic.twitter.com/YZrSc0EMOR
— US Lawyer Reding Quiñones (@USAO_SDFL) February 20, 2026
Bien-Aime, a distinguished determine within the Haitian-American group, served because the mayor of North Miami from 2019 till 2022 and lately launched an unsuccessful marketing campaign for the Miami-Dade County Fee.
In an announcement offered to Florida’s Voice, Bien-Aime’s lawyer, Peterson St. Philippe, stated, “We’re presently reviewing the federal government’s allegations intimately and we are going to reply by the suitable authorized channels. As a result of that is an ongoing authorized matter, we’re restricted in what we are able to talk about publicly. Nonetheless, we’re assured that the judicial course of will pretty resolve these points.”
The case, United States of America v. Bien-Aime, was filed on Wednesday within the Southern District of Florida. If the federal government is profitable in its denaturalization effort, it might invalidate Bien-Aime’s previous eligibility for public workplace. North Miami metropolis rules require candidates to be certified electors, a standing that’s contingent upon legitimate U.S. citizenship.
