Officials from the Trump administration announced on Friday that they have initiated a civil lawsuit aimed at revoking a former Florida mayor’s U.S. citizenship due to his alleged involvement in a prolonged immigration fraud scheme.
The U.S. Department of Justice, along with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, stated that a denaturalization lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Miami against Philippe Bien-Aimé, also known as Jean-Philippe Janvier. Prosecutors claim that Bien-Aimé, a Haitian national, employed two identities to gain immigration benefits and eventually acquired U.S. citizenship after entering the country without permission.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division remarked, “This administration will not tolerate fraudsters who deceive individuals to obtain the gift of U.S. citizenship. Over time, obvious immigration fraud doesn’t just disappear.”
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason A. Redding Quiñones, emphasized that the accusations strike at the very essence of the legal framework.
Redding Quiñones noted, “American citizenship is a privilege that should be grounded in integrity and loyalty to this country. The complaint claims that this individual built his citizenship on deception, utilizing a false identity, dishonest claims, and a fake marriage to avoid a lawful removal order.” He added that the severity of the fraud is underscored by Bien-Aimé’s prior position as an elected mayor, stating that public office should reflect a commitment to integrity and respect for the law.
The lawsuit alleges that Bien-Aimé first entered the United States using a counterfeit passport with a different name, Jean-Philippe Janvier. In 2001, immigration authorities began deportation proceedings against him, which he initially appealed but later withdrew, asserting that he had returned to Haiti.
According to prosecutors, he never actually left the U.S. Instead, he allegedly stayed to secure legal permanent residency, adopted a new name and date of birth, and wed an American citizen. The Justice Department has argued that this marriage was fraudulent because he was still married to a Haitian woman at the time.
Officials allege that Bien-Aimé unlawfully obtained naturalization for several reasons: he was still under a final removal order, had previously had his citizenship revoked, and was not allowed to be approved for permanent residency by immigration authorities. The removal order had also barred U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from considering his naturalization application.
The lawsuit further claims that he provided false information under oath during both his adjustment of status and naturalization interviews. Prosecutors asserted that he denied being subject to a removal order and alleged that he deceptively represented details about his family and past residences. He was finally naturalized as Bien-Aimé in 2006.
Investigators uncovered the alleged fraud by examining fingerprints submitted under the two identities, with the matches discovered as part of a collaborative initiative between the Department of Justice and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services aimed at identifying individuals who gained immigration benefits through dishonest means. Should the court determine that Bien-Aimé was wrongfully naturalized, he could lose his U.S. citizenship.
His attorney, Peterson St. Philip, stated that he is currently reviewing the government’s statements and plans to respond through the proper legal channels.
Bien-Aimé, on his campaign website, mentioned that he initially immigrated to Canada before settling in the United States, where he built a career in the auto industry and established his own business in 2006. He was elected as the mayor of North Miami in 2019 after serving on the city council since 2013, but he resigned in 2022 to pursue a seat on the Miami-Dade County District 2 Commission. He ultimately lost to community activist Marlaine Bastian.
