Roland Mehrez Beainy, a 28-year-old Lebanese national and co-owner of the Trump Burger restaurant chain, was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 16 of this year.
Beainy first entered the United States in 2019 as a non-immigrant visitor from Lebanon and would later open the first Trump Burger location in Bellville, Texas, with co-owner Eddie Hawa in 2020.
The Trump Burger brand features a politically themed menu with items such as the “Trump Burger,” in which TRUMP is stamped on the top bun with a hot iron. The “Trump Tower” burger is a 16-ounce burger topped with four slices of American cheese and barbecue sauce.
There is also a “Biden Burger” on the menu for $50. The menu’s description of the “Biden Burger” reads, “1oz of beef with old tomatoes and our oldest buns. Unavailable due to cheating and inflation.”
The restaurant also sells Trump-branded merchandise, including mugs, hats and t-shirts. Their menus all proudly display “Made in USA” logos.
The Trump Organization sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Bellville Trump Burger, stating that Beainy and his partners were infringing intellectual property rights by using the Trump name and branding without authorization.
The letter demanded that the restaurant stop using the Trump name, remove all related materials and provide an accounting of all revenues generated from the use of the Trump brand, and warned of possible legal action if they did not comply. Co-owner Eddie Hawa has since renamed the restaurant “MAGA Burger.”
Officials allege that Beainy overstayed his visa, engaged in a sham green-card marriage, and has a criminal record that includes an assault charge. On Feb. 12, 2024, Beainy’s visa expired and has since been in immigration proceedings, with a hearing scheduled for Nov. 18, in Houston Texas.
