‘Trump Burger’ Owners Detained by ICE in Texas

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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on covering news and politics in Texas, as well as other general news across the United States. James joined Newsweek in July 2022 from LBC, and previously worked for the Daily Express. He is a graduate of Oxford University. Languages: English. Twitter: @JBickertonUK. You can get in touch with James by emailing j.bickerton@newsweek.com

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The founder of a second Trump Burger restaurant in Texas has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is accused of being in the U.S. unlawfully, according to the Houston Chronicle.

On June 2, ICE arrested Iyad Abuelhawa—who founded the Trump Café in Bellville, northwest of Houston, in October 2016—and is holding him in a Montgomery County detention facility, the newspaper reported.

One of the Trump Café’s flagship products was the Trump Burger, later the name of a restaurant chain in Texas.

Newsweek contacted ICE and Jennifer Lopez, Abuelhawa’s attorney, for comment on Friday via email and online inquiry form outside regular office hours.

Why It Matters

News of Abuelhawa’s arrest comes weeks after ICE confirmed it had detained Roland Beainy, a founder of the Trump Burger restaurant chain, who they said was in the United States illegally. Trump Burger—which has restaurants in Houston, Bellville, Flatonia and Kemah—attracted widespread attention earlier this year for its aggressively pro-Trump menu and theme.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has overseen a major crackdown on illegal immigration into the U.S., which has contributed to the American migrant population shrinking for the first time in 60 years, according to Pew Research Center figures.

What To Know

According to ICE, Abuelhawa, who they said was an Israeli-born Jordanian citizen, has been living in the U.S. illegally since a judge ordered his deportation in 2009.

Lopez denied this claim when contacted by the Houston Chronicle, saying Abuelhawa was told he could remain in the U.S. “to multiple [government] agencies’ benefit,” though she did not provide further details.

The attorney said Abuelhawa wasn’t receiving the requisite blood sugar monitoring or insulin while in custody and needed a wheelchair after losing feeling from his knees down. She also said Abuelhawa is a stateless Palestinian and that his request for parole had been denied.

Between October 2016 and 2017, Abuelhawa and his wife ran the Trump Café near Houston, which served the Trump Burger as its signature dish. The couple used the nicknames Eddie and Sue Hawa when operating the business.

In 2020, the first Trump Burger restaurant opened near the old Trump Café site and later expanded to other locations. However, in May, Beainy, one of its founders, was detained by ICE and accused of being in the U.S. illegally before being released on bond. When approached by the Houston Chronicle, he said, “A lot of the stuff is fake,” and declined to comment further.

Abuelhawa was convicted of health care fraud and misbranding a drug in 2007 and sentence to four years in prison after issuing a guilty plea, which he subsequently unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw. Prosecutors said he had provided Exxon Mobil employees and seniors with fake vaccines that turned out to consist of sterilized water.

What People Are Saying

Iyad Abuelhawa, using the name Eddie Hawa, told local media outlet Houstonia in 2016: “I decided to do American food only because I want everything to be American in this place, even the T-shirts.”

He added: “When Mr. Trump talks about borders he’s talking about protecting this country. We have a border in my country—a big wall between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Everyone just wants to protect their country.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether Abuelhawa or Beainy will be deported from the United States.