Feds Move to Strip Former North Miami Mayor of U.S. Citizenship
The Department of Justice has filed a denaturalization case seeking to revoke the U. S. citizenship of a former north miami mayor after alleging he misrepresented his identity and immigration history during naturalization, the complaint shows. Federal attorneys lodged the civil action in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday.
How the complaint ties to the former North Miami Mayor
The complaint names Philippe Bien-Aime and alleges he first entered the United States in 1997 using a fraudulent, "photo-switched" passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. An immigration judge found that entry to be fraudulent and ordered removal on July 31, 2000; Bien-Aime appealed the removal at the time but later withdrew the appeal while representing that he had returned to live in Haiti. Federal authorities allege he did not return to Haiti and instead remained in the United States under the name Philippe Bien-Aime.
Timeline and alleged misrepresentations
The DOJ complaint says the person who naturalized as Philippe Bien-Aime in 2006 is the same individual who was ordered removed in 2000, citing Department of Homeland Security records and fingerprint comparisons. The filing further alleges Bien-Aime obtained permanent resident status through marriage to a U. S. citizen, but that marriage was invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen and that the divorce certificate he presented to immigration authorities was fraudulent.
Political and legal fallout tied to city service
Bien-Aime was elected mayor of North Miami in 2019 and resigned in 2022 to run for a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission, a campaign he lost. If the government succeeds in stripping his citizenship, the complaint says that outcome could raise legal and political questions about his time in office; North Miami city code requires candidates to be qualified electors, meaning U. S. citizens eligible to vote and registered at the time of candidacy.
Peterson St. Philippe, an attorney for Bien-Aime, said the defense is reviewing the complaint and will be responding "through the appropriate legal channels, " and added they will not be commenting further while litigation is pending. U. S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida said, "United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country. "
Denaturalization is a lengthy, high-bar civil process, and the complaint notes any subsequent deportation could take even longer. The case remains pending in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and Bien-Aime's legal team has said it will respond to the filing through the court process.
