ICE Detains Wife of Former North Miami Mayor While Authorities Seek to Revoke His Citizenship

• ICE Arrests Sarahjane Ternier
• Immigration Case Against Former Mayor
• DOJ Seeks to Revoke Citizenship

The wife of former North Miami mayor Philippe Bien-Aime was detained by immigration authorities in Miami, according to reports from The Miami Herald.

Sarahjane Ternier, the former official’s wife and the mother of his three children, was arrested by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE Arrests Sarahjane Ternier, Wife of Former North Miami Mayor

ICE detains embattled former North Miami mayor’s partner, mother of his children https://t.co/RzXW5UYvzf

— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 14, 2026

The ICE arrest Sarahjane Ternier comes as the U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to revoke the former mayor’s American citizenship.

Why it matters: The case simultaneously involves a deportation process against Ternier and a federal lawsuit seeking to revoke Bien-Aime’s naturalization.

The situation has drawn attention due to the direct connection between both immigration proceedings.

Sarahjane Ternier’s Detention Confirmed by ICE

After former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime was accused by federal authorities of lying during the naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen, his partner was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, records showedhttps://t.co/Jo7f37CGg4

— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) March 14, 2026

According to The Miami Herald, an ICE spokesperson confirmed Ternier’s arrest on Friday.

The detention occurred Wednesday in Miami.

Authorities acted to enforce a deportation order issued in 2000.

The spokesperson indicated that the immigration order was still active.

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According to the report, an appeal filed in the case was dismissed by an immigration appeals board.

After her arrest, Ternier was transferred to an immigration detention facility.

She is currently believed to be held at the Broward Transitional Center.

The facility is used to detain immigrants while their immigration cases move forward.

Ternier is publicly known as the wife of the former mayor of North Miami.

She is also the mother of Philippe Bien-Aime’s three children.

The Case Against the Former Mayor

“ICE detains the wife of the former North Miami mayor whose citizenship authorities seek to revoke, according to reports.” https://t.co/d3qxcaINxx

— N+ UNIVISION MIAMI (@nmasUnivision23) March 14, 2026

The ICE arrest of Sarahjane Ternier occurs while the Department of Justice continues a civil action against Bien-Aime.

In mid-February, the DOJ filed a request to revoke his U.S. citizenship.

The federal government claims the former mayor allegedly lied during his naturalization process.

Bien-Aime is originally from Haiti.

According to the civil complaint filed by the Department of Justice, the former mayor allegedly misrepresented information during his immigration process.

The document states that he may have concealed aspects of his identity.

It also claims he omitted details about his immigration history.

Authorities argue that the alleged false information was submitted by Philippe Bien-Aime during the process to obtain his citizenship.

That naturalization process is now the subject of the federal lawsuit.

The Department of Justice Allegations

According to the civil complaint, Philippe Bien-Aime “deliberately misrepresented his identity and immigration history during his naturalization process.”

Court documents also outline additional elements of the case.

The former mayor allegedly entered the United States illegally.

He later began the process to obtain naturalization.

The Department of Justice claims the official used the name Philippe Bien-Aime during that process.

However, according to the complaint, there was already a deportation order against him.

Documents also indicate that the former mayor allegedly used another name in his immigration history.

Despite that situation, he was able to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Philippe Bien-Aime was elected mayor of North Miami in 2019.

The request filed by the Department of Justice now seeks to revoke that citizenship.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Sarahjane Ternier has taken place while the legal case continues to unfold.

Immigration authorities are now holding Ternier in custody as her immigration proceedings move forward.