The co-owner of a Donald Trump-themed burger chain in Texas is facing deportation, with federal officials alleging the Lebanese national overstayed his visitor’s visa.
Officials also claim Roland Mehrez Beainy, 28, also engaged in “sham” marriages and has a criminal record, according to Fox News.
Trump Burger has four locations in South Texas, including Houston, Bellville, Flatonia, and Kemah. The Kemah location has been renamed as MAGA Burger.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers allege Beainy entered the United States in 2019 as a non-immigrant visitor and remained in the country illegally when his visa expired in February 2024.
Beainy was not authorized to use the Trump name or branding. The Trump Organization, President Donald Trump’s private business, sent the Bellville location a cease-and-desist letter earlier this year, the Fayette County Record reported.
The Houston Chronicle on Sunday also published a long report on the founding and ownership of the Trump Burger brand.
An ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday: “Despite false claims to the contrary, Roland Mehrez Beainy does not have any immigration benefits that prevented his arrest or removal from the United States.
“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,” the ICE statement said. “This is true regardless of what restaurant you own or political beliefs you might have.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials told Fox that they revoked Beainy’s petition for immigration status after members of his own family said his marriage was “a sham designed to game the system.”
Beainy denied the allegations.
In June, the Trump Burger in Kemah, Texas, sued its landlord, Archie Patterson, who allegedly forced staff out and took control of the location. Patterson responded with his own lawsuit, accusing Beainy of unpaid debts.
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