The Justice Department is seeking to strip a former mayor of his U.S. citizenship, accusing him of lying during the naturalization process.
Federal authorities allege that former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime “willfully misrepresented his identity and immigration history throughout the naturalization process,” NBC 6 South Florida reports.
“The Justice Department filed a civil complaint to revoke the U.S. citizenship of former North Miami mayor, Philippe Bien-Aime, alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization by concealing material facts about his past,” U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones said.
“The case underscores that U.S. citizenship is a privilege—not a right—and those who lie or hide the truth to obtain it will be held accountable. If proven, the defendant faces denaturalization, reinforcing the Department’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the immigration system and ensuring that fraud carries serious consequences,” he continued.
The Justice Department filed a civil complaint to revoke the U.S. citizenship of former North Miami mayor, Philippe Bien-Aime, alleging he fraudulently obtained naturalization by concealing material facts about his past. The case underscores that U.S. citizenship is a… pic.twitter.com/YZrSc0EMOR
— US Attorney Reding Quiñones (@USAO_SDFL) February 20, 2026
NBC 6 South Florida has more:
Court documents state that Department of Homeland Security records — including fingerprint comparisons — show that the person who naturalized as Philippe Bien-Aime is the same individual who was previously ordered removed from the United States under the name Philippe Janvier.
The complaint alleges that on July 31, 2000, an immigration judge determined that Janvier gained entry into the United States by fraud, specifically through the use of a photo-switched passport. The judge ordered him removed to Haiti.
However, the filing states there is no indication he ever left the United States as ordered.
The complaint further alleges that Bien-Aime was not eligible to obtain a visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen because his marriage was invalid.
“He appealed the deportation order, then withdrew the appeal, claiming he had moved back to Haiti, when in reality, he remained in the U.S. and took on a new name, Philippe Bien-Aime, and new date of birth, then married a U.S. citizen to obtain permanent resident status. But DOJ says that marriage was fraudulent, because he was already married to a Haitian citizen,” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin said.
“DOJ says after making a serious of fraudulent statements to immigration authorities, he was eventually naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006 under the new identity. DOJ says federal investigators at DHS/USCIS discovered the fraud & confirmed it through a comparison of fingerprints that he provided under the two identities. That review is part of an ongoing national initiative designed to find fraud in partnership between DOJ & USCIS,” he continued.
NEW: In a rare denaturalization case, DOJ has filed to strip U.S. citizenship away from the former mayor of North Miami, FL, who they allege is a Haitian fraudster who used two identities & committed marriage fraud to obtain American citizenship after illegally entering the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/8YzBbIxEFg
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 19, 2026
NBC News shared further:
Peterson St. Philippe, an attorney for Bien-Aime, told NBC Miami in a statement that they are in the process of reviewing the complaint and will be responding to the allegations “through the appropriate legal channels.”
“As this is a pending litigation, we will not be commenting further at this time,” St. Philippe said.
The case against Bien-Aime comes as the Trump administration is expanding its efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship for foreign-born Americans as part of the president’s broader agenda to curb immigration.
Denaturalization is lengthy and time-consuming process and has a high legal bar. Even when federal authorities are investigating someone with the aim to denaturalize, it could take years, and a subsequent deportation would take even longer.
If the government ultimately succeeds in its effort to strip Bien-Aime of his U.S. citizenship, it could raise legal and political questions about his time in office.
North Miami’s city code states that candidates seeking office must be qualified electors — meaning they must be citizens eligible to vote and registered at the time. To register to vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen.
