Immigration – DOJ Seeks to Revoke Citizenship of Former Mayor of North Miami

2026-02-23 - 19:04

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated legal proceedings to revoke the citizenship of a former mayor of North Miami, alleging that he obtained naturalization through misrepresentation of his identity and immigration history. Federal prosecutors filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Philippe Bien-Aime in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday, according to court records. Authorities contend that Bien-Aime, a Haitian national who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006, concealed critical details about his prior immigration status during the naturalization process. Bien-Aime was elected mayor of North Miami in 2019 and later resigned in 2022 to contest a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission, though he was unsuccessful in that bid. According to a civil complaint reviewed by NBC News and NBC Miami, the DOJ alleges that Bien-Aime first entered the United States in 1997 using a fraudulent “photo-switched” passport bearing the name Jean Philippe Janvier. An immigration judge ruled on July 31, 2000, that he had entered the country unlawfully and ordered his removal to Haiti. The complaint states that although Bien-Aime initially appealed the deportation order, he later withdrew the appeal after representing that he had returned to Haiti. Federal authorities now allege that he never left the United States and instead continued residing in the country under the name Philippe Bien-Aime. Investigators say Department of Homeland Security records, including fingerprint comparisons, confirm that the individual naturalized as Philippe Bien-Aime is the same person previously ordered removed under the name Philippe Janvier. Peterson St. Philippe, an attorney representing Bien-Aime, said the legal team is reviewing the allegations and will respond through formal legal channels. “As this is a pending litigation, we will not be commenting further at this time,” St. Philippe said in a statement to NBC Miami. The case emerges amid an expansion of denaturalization efforts by the Trump administration as part of a broader immigration enforcement agenda targeting alleged fraud in citizenship applications. Legal experts note that denaturalization cases are complex and face a high evidentiary threshold. Even when pursued by federal authorities, such proceedings can take years to resolve, with any potential deportation process extending significantly longer. Should the government ultimately succeed, the outcome could raise questions regarding Bien-Aime’s eligibility while serving in elected office. North Miami’s municipal code requires candidates to be qualified electors — meaning they must be registered voters and U.S. citizens at the time of candidacy. Prosecutors also allege that Bien-Aime secured permanent residency through marriage to a U.S. citizen while still legally married to a Haitian national. According to the complaint, a divorce certificate submitted to immigration authorities was fraudulent, rendering the later marriage invalid. “United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida said in a news release Friday. “If proven, we will ask the Court to revoke a status that was never lawfully obtained.”