E-Paper
Who is Iyad Abuelhawa? 'Trump Burger' owners arrested in Texas, here's why
Iyad Abuelhawa, owner of a Trump Burger in Texas, was arrested by ICE for illegal entry. He is held in Montgomery County detention.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the owner of a second Trump Burger restaurant in Texas on suspicion of entering the country illegally, as per the Houston Chronicle.
Iyad Abuelhawa, who opened the Trump Café in Bellville, northwest of Houston, in October 2016, was arrested on June 2 and is currently being held in a detention facility in Montgomery County, according to the newspaper.
The Trump Burger, which eventually became the name of a Texas restaurant franchise, was one of the Trump Café's signature items.
The detention of Abuelhawa follows weeks after ICE reported that it had arrested Trump Burger restaurant franchise creator Roland Beainy, who they claimed was residing in the country illegally. Earlier this year, Trump Burger, which has locations in Houston, Bellville, Flatonia, and Kemah, garnered a lot of attention due to its strongly pro-Trump theme and menu.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, Trump has led a significant crackdown on illegal immigration into the United States since taking office again in January, which has helped to reduce the number of migrants in the country for the first time in 60 years.
Who is Iyad Abuelhawa?
Abuelhawa, who ICE claimed was a Jordanian citizen of Israeli descent, has been unlawfully staying in the United States since a judge ordered his expulsion in 2009.
On being asked for a comment by the Houston Chronicle, Jennifer Lopez, Abuelhawa's attorney, refuted this, stating that Abuelhawa was informed he could stay in the US "to multiple [government] agencies' benefit." The lawyer did not provide any further details.
Abuelhawa, according to the lawyer, lost sensation from his knees down and required a wheelchair while in detention because he was not getting the necessary insulin or blood sugar monitoring.
Additionally, she added that Abuelhawa is a Palestinian stateless person and that his parole plea was turned down.
The Trump Cafe and its Trump Burger
The Trump Burger was the restaurant's signature dish at the Trump Café, which Abuelhawa and his wife operated near Houston from October 2016 to 2017.
The pair ran the company under the aliases Eddie and Sue Hawa. The first Trump Burger outlet opened in 2020 close to the former Trump Café, and it subsequently spread to other areas. ICE arrested Beainy, one of its founders, in May on suspicion of illegally entering the country, but he was later freed on bond.
In 2007, Abuelhawa was found guilty of health care fraud and fraudulently marketing a medication. He was sentenced to four years in prison after entering a guilty plea, which he later tried in vain to revoke.
Prosecutors claimed that he had given elders and workers at Exxon Mobil phony vaccinations that were actually made of sterile water.
