The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on February 18 seeking to revoke the citizenship of former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aimé, alleging he concealed a prior deportation order and misrepresented his identity during the naturalization process.
According to the complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida Court, Bien-Aimé “willfully misrepresented his identity and immigration history” to obtain U.S. citizenship. Prosecutors say the man naturalized as Bien-Aimé is the same individual previously ordered removed from the U.S. under the name Philippe Janvier, citing fingerprint comparisons and Department of Homeland Security records linking the two identities.
The case, United States of America v. Bien-Aimé, was filed before Judge K. Michael Moore. Court filings state that on July 31, 2000, an immigration judge ruled that Janvier had entered the U.S. fraudulently using a photo-switched passport. The government contends there is no record that Janvier complied with the removal order.
Prosecutors allege Bien-Aimé used the fraudulent passport because he was ineligible for a visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, citing a marriage he claimed on his application that was later determined invalid. The complaint also alleges bigamy, noting a Haitian divorce certificate submitted during the process was counterfeit.
A native of Port-au-Prince, Bien-Aimé worked in the automobile industry for nearly two decades before entering politics. He served as North Miami District 3 Councilman, vice mayor, and was elected mayor in 2019. After his mayoral tenure, he ran unsuccessfully for the Miami-Dade County Commission.
If the government succeeds, the legal and political ramifications could be substantial, as only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote and hold office under the North Miami city code, which requires candidates to be qualified electors.
The DOJ filing includes 20 exhibits, such as the prior removal order, an immigration hearing transcript, the naturalization application, and the disputed divorce records. A federal summons was issued on Wednesday.
