The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida have filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Phillipe Bien-Amie, also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, in the U.S. District Court in Miami. Bien-Amie, originally from Haiti, is accused of using two identities to obtain immigration benefits and ultimately acquire U.S. citizenship after entering the United States illegally.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate stated, “This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship. The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said, “United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country. 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.”
According to authorities, before becoming a U.S. citizen under the name Philippe Bien-Aime, he entered the country with a fraudulent passport under another identity—Jean Philippe Janvier—and was placed in removal proceedings in 2001 under that name. Although he withdrew his appeal against removal by claiming he had returned to Haiti, officials allege he remained in the United States using his new identity.
He then married a U.S. citizen to gain permanent resident status; however, investigators say this marriage was invalid because he was already married in Haiti at that time.
The complaint filed on February 18 outlines several reasons why Bien-Aime’s naturalization should be revoked: being subject to a final removal order disqualified him from applying for permanent residency or naturalization; his adjustment of status was based on fraud due to an invalid marriage; and he allegedly provided false information during immigration interviews about his history and personal details.
Authorities discovered Bien-Aime’s use of dual identities through fingerprint comparisons conducted as part of the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project—a joint initiative between the Justice Department and USCIS aimed at uncovering past instances where individuals may have used multiple identities during immigration processes.
The investigation involved USCIS from the Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by both federal prosecutors from Miami’s Affirmative Litigation Unit and attorneys from Washington D.C.’s Office of Immigration Litigation.
Officials emphasize that these are allegations only at this stage; no determination has been made regarding liability.
Further information about related court documents can be found on websites such as www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 26-cv-21064.
