Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is considering stripping Philippe Bien-Aime, former North Miami Mayor, of US citizen.
According to the federal prosecutors, Philippe, a Haitian native, lied during the naturalization process to obtain US citizenship. A denaturalisation case has now been filed against the former Miami mayor.
Why are the Feds mulling to strip Philippe Bien-Aime of citizenship?
The US government has claimed that Philippe Bien-Aime “willfully misrepresented his identity and immigration history throughout the naturalization process,” according to an NBC6 report, citing a 13-page civil complaint filed by the US DOJ.
The documents claim that Philippe’s records at the Department of Homeland Security, including fingerprint comparisons, showed that they belong to the same individual who was previously ordered removed from the United States under the name Philippe Janvier.
On July 31, 2000, the complaint said, an immigration judge had determined that Janvier gained entry into the United States by fraud, through the use of a photo-switched passport. He was then ordered to be removed from the US.
However, the fresh filing said that there is no indication whether Philippe Janvier ever left the United States as ordered.
Philippe Bien-Aime was not eligible to obtain a visa as the spouse of a US citizen because his marriage was invalid, the complaint further alleged. Federal prosecutors have accused him of bigamy, claiming his Haitian divorce certificate was counterfeit and fraudulent.
“…US citizenship is a privilege—not a right—and those who lie or hide the truth to obtain it will be held accountable,” said US Attorney Reding Quinones in a post on X.
What did Philippe Bien-Aime say?
Philippe Bien-Aime declined to comment and referred the matter to his immigration lawyer, Peterson St. Philippe.
In an emailed statement, Peterson said he thinks it is appropriate to address the allegations through the judicial process rather than through public commentary.
“We trust that any reporting will reflect that the matter remains unresolved and that no findings have been made,” he said.
What will happen if the US government wins the case?
Philippe Bien-Aime’s US citizenship will be revoked if the US government succeeds in proving their allegations.
It will also raise legal and political questions about Philippe’s time in the North Miami office, whose city code specifies that the 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 US citizen.
Alix Desulme, the current North Miami Mayor, said he and his administration were unaware of the claims against Philippe Bien-Aime, let alone that he had ever had another identity, according to the Miami Herald.
“I’m shocked,” Alix said.
Half of the population of North Miami is foreign-born, according to the US Census Bureau, and the city has a large Haitian population.
