Trump Admin Alleges Former Florida Mayor Schemed To Become Citizen

Trump administration officials announced Friday that they filed a civil complaint to strip a former Florida mayor of his U.S. citizenship, accusing him of orchestrating a years-long immigration fraud scheme.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida said federal prosecutors filed a denaturalization complaint on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Miami against Philippe Bien-Aime, also known as Jean Philippe Janvier. Prosecutors allege the Haiti native used two separate identities to secure immigration benefits and ultimately obtain U.S. citizenship after illegally entering the country.

“This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said the allegations cut to the core of the legal system.

“United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country,” Reding Quiñones said. “The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order. The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law. If proven, we will ask the Court to revoke a status that was never lawfully obtained. The rule of law requires nothing less.”

Bien-Aime first entered the United States using a fraudulent “photo-switched” passport under the name Jean Philippe Janvier, according to the complaint. In 2001, immigration authorities placed him in removal proceedings and ordered him removed under that identity. He appealed the order but later withdrew the appeal, claiming he had returned to Haiti.

Prosecutors allege he never left and instead, authorities say he remained in the United States, adopted a new name and date of birth, and married a U.S. citizen to secure lawful permanent resident status. The DOJ contends the marriage was fraudulent and invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen at the time.

Federal officials said Bien-Aime illegally procured naturalization for multiple reasons. He remained subject to a final removal order, which disqualified him from naturalization and barred immigration authorities from granting him permanent resident status. That same removal order prohibited U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from considering or approving his naturalization application.

The complaint further alleges he provided false and misleading information under oath during both adjustment-of-status and naturalization interviews. Prosecutors say he denied being subject to a removal order, denied lying to U.S. officials, and misrepresented details about his children and prior residences. He ultimately naturalized in 2006 under the Bien-Aime identity.

Investigators uncovered the alleged fraud through fingerprint comparisons submitted under the two identities. The match emerged as part of the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint initiative between the Justice Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services aimed at identifying individuals who obtained immigration benefits under false pretenses. If the court finds that he illegally procured naturalization, Bien-Aime would lose his U.S. citizenship.

His attorney, Peterson St. Philippe, told NBC Miami that they are reviewing the government’s filing and will respond through the appropriate legal channels.

On his campaign website, Bien-Aime says he first moved to Canada before eventually settling in the United States, where he built a career in the automotive industry and launched his own business in 2006. He was elected mayor of North Miami in 2019 after serving on the City Council beginning in 2013, but stepped down in 2022 to run for the Miami-Dade County District 2 Commission seat, a race he lost to community activist Marleine Bastien.

Bien-Aime detailed on his campaign website that he first moved to Canada before eventually settling in the United States, where he worked in the automotive industry and started his own business in 2006. He later won election to the North Miami City Council in 2013, became mayor in 2019, and stepped down in 2022 to run for the Miami-Dade County Commission seat, a race he lost to Marleine Bastien.

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