Roland Mehrez Beainy, the Lebanese-born co-owner of Texas’ Trump Burger chain, has found himself at the heart of a legal and political firestorm, facing imminent deportation as U.S. authorities allege a series of immigration violations, sham marriages, and a criminal record. The saga, which has drawn widespread attention from the media and the public, underscores the complexities of America’s immigration system and the high-profile disputes that can arise when politics, business, and the law collide.
Beainy, 28, entered the United States in 2019 on a non-immigrant tourist visa. According to Fox News Digital and The Houston Chronicle, his visa expired in February 2024, but he remained in the country, running a growing chain of burger restaurants themed after former President Donald Trump. The first Trump Burger opened its doors in Bellville, Texas, in November 2020, and the business quickly expanded to locations in Kemah, Flatonia, Bay City, and Greater Houston. The brand’s unmistakable style—buns emblazoned with “Trump,” American flags on the fries, and a portrait of the former president hanging above the counter—helped it stand out in a crowded fast-food market.
But Beainy’s American dream began to unravel in May 2025, when officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him for overstaying his visa. ICE stated, “Under the current administration, ICE is committed to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system by holding all individuals accountable who illegally enter the country or overstay the terms of their admission. This is true regardless of what restaurant you own or political beliefs you might have.” The statement was clear: there would be no exceptions, even for a business owner whose restaurant is festooned with pro-Trump imagery.
The case against Beainy did not end with visa overstay allegations. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked his petition for immigration status after members of his own family admitted that his marriage—cited as grounds for staying in the U.S.—was a “sham designed to game the system.” DHS minced no words in its public statements, asserting, “The Department of Homeland Security has zero tolerance for immigration fraud, and this individual’s claims are baseless. This person has no Green Card, a history of illegal marriages, and an assault charge. DHS is actively pursuing all legal avenues to address this flagrant abuse of our immigration laws.”
Beainy, for his part, has vehemently denied the government’s allegations. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, he called the claims “not true.” For now, an immigration judge has allowed his release from federal custody after granting him bond in June 2025, but his deportation case remains ongoing, with a hearing scheduled for November 18, 2025.
While Beainy’s immigration woes have dominated headlines, the burger chain itself has not escaped controversy. The Trump Organization, which owns the rights to the former president’s name and image, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump Burger’s Bellville location earlier in 2025. According to The Fayette County Record, the letter accused Beainy and his team of “flagrantly infringing upon the Trump Organization’s valuable and well-established intellectual property right by operating at least three restaurants under the Trump name and brand.” The company demanded that all references to Trump be scrubbed from marketing materials and that Beainy provide “a full accounting of all revenues” generated through the alleged misuse. The letter further warned of legal action should the demands not be met.
Adding to the turmoil, Beainy has become embroiled in a series of lawsuits involving both his business partners and landlords. In April 2025, he filed suit against his co-owner, Iyad Abuelhawa (also known as Eddie Hawa), claiming that he purchased 50% of Trump Burger for $65,000 in 2019. Hawa responded with a countersuit, demanding $1 million in damages and arguing there was no written agreement to support Beainy’s claim. These lawsuits, filed in Fayette County court, are still pending trial.
The legal battles don’t stop there. In June 2025, Trump Burger sued its Kemah, Texas, landlord, Archie Patterson, alleging that Patterson forcibly removed staff and took control of the location, rebranding it as “MAGA Burger.” The complaint, filed in Harris County District Court, claims staff were “forcibly removed from the property under the threat of law enforcement, based on alleged no-trespass orders.” Patterson, in turn, filed a countersuit on July 8, 2025, accusing Beainy and his associates of owing him money. The property dispute remains unresolved, adding another layer of complexity to Beainy’s already tangled legal affairs.
Despite the mounting legal and immigration pressures, Trump Burger has continued to operate, drawing crowds eager for novelty and controversy alike. The restaurant’s marketing has sometimes courted the edge of good taste—a recent Facebook video showed a Trump impersonator jokingly asking Latina diners for their green cards, a move that sparked both amusement and criticism on social media. Through it all, Beainy has maintained his innocence and commitment to the business, even as his future in the United States hangs in the balance.
The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over immigration policy, business rights, and the boundaries of political branding. Supporters of stricter immigration enforcement have pointed to Beainy’s case as evidence that the system is finally holding all violators accountable, regardless of their political affiliations. Others see the situation as a cautionary tale about the perils of aggressive enforcement and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs trying to navigate America’s labyrinthine immigration and legal systems.
Meanwhile, the Trump Organization’s aggressive defense of its intellectual property highlights the increasingly litigious environment surrounding celebrity branding in the U.S. The company’s insistence that Trump Burger’s operations are not authorized or endorsed by the Trump family adds another wrinkle to the story, complicating the restaurant’s public image and raising questions about the future of its signature branding.
As Beainy awaits his November deportation hearing, the fate of Trump Burger—and its embattled owner—remains uncertain. The outcome will likely reverberate well beyond the walls of a Texas fast-food joint, serving as a symbol of the intersection between immigration, business, and politics in 21st-century America.
