Immigrants applying to live permanently in the United States can be rejected if they receive public benefits, beginning this week.
Use of Medicaid, food stamps, tuition ******* istance and free school lunch programs, among other government ******* istance, could all be grounds for denying a green-card application.
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The policy from President Donald Trump's administration, which took effect Friday, marks a dramatic change to a long-standing federal policy consistent with the president's efforts to restrict legal immigration pathways.
The rule could reduce federal and state payments by $13 billion a year, by persuading some 950,000 people to disenroll from or avoid federal safety net programs, according to estimates from the Department of Homeland Security. The agency said that the rule aligns with Congress's intent that noncitizens "in the United States be self-sufficient and not dependent on taxpayer-funded government benefits."

#states

By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has proposed eliminating a 60-day grace period that allows certain immigrants, including skilled workers on H-1B visas, to stay in the United States and find a new sponsor after losing ‌their job, according to a government notice posted online on Thursday.
Under the planned rule change, published in the Federal ‌Register by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, those with H-1B and certain other temporary work visas would have to leave the country as soon as their employment ends — a potential blow to top American tech companies that rely heavily on foreign workers.
It is the latest step by U.S. President Donald Trump to limit legal immigration since returning to office in January 2025. His administration has also introduced higher visa fees for skilled workers and recently paused immigrant visa appointments at U.S. missions globally while it implements a new training program.
Companies affected by the change could see some disruption, ‌DHS wrote in its proposal, but it said ⁠the jobs could go to American workers instead. In some situations, immigrant workers who leave could potentially reapply if their employer petitions for them, it added.

#Companies #administration #skilled #visas

FIRST ON FOX: Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor and a Democratic candidate for the Senate, believes his party should incorporate a big-tent approach to an emerging wave of socialist candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
When asked if he would sign the Promise to America, a repudiation of socialist stances put out by moderate Democrats, Cooper said he wouldn't.
"I don't see any need to," Cooper said in video footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
"I think the party needs a wide spectrum, particularly at a time when the Republican Party is shrinking and having all kinds of loyalty tests. I think we need to have all kinds of folks to be a part of our party."
Florida Board Votes To Ban Illegal Immigrants From Public College Admissions

#America #socialist #need #think

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador was returned to his home country this week after the Department of Homeland Security took him into custody in sanctuary Fairfax County, Virginia, where he had just served an abbreviated jail sentence, and deported him.
The case is the latest in a string of controversies involving illegal immigrants plaguing the Democrat-led county adjacent to Washington, D.C., where sanctuary policies run up against the Trump administration's heavy-handed approach to removing people who do not belong in the U.S.
"This groper is gone," an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Illegal Immigrant Israel Flores-ortiz Gets 360 Days For Groping Girls At Fairfax County Va. High School
A photo of the Fairfax High School campus in Fairfax, Va., from March 15, 2022. At right is a mugshot of Israel Flores-Ortiz, accused of groping girls at Fairfax High School, taken in March 2025.

#county #Israel #immigrant

By Julia Harte
Sept 9 (Reuters) - The Trump administration proposed on Wednesday changing the national census to include only U.S. citizens and permanent residents, a move that could significantly change how much ‌political representation and federal funding each state receives.
The U.S. Census Bureau submitted the proposal just over ‌a year after President Donald Trump ordered its parent agency to craft a new census that would block immigrants in the U.S. illegally from being counted. The bureau will conduct the next full census in 2030.
The proposed rule changes would exclude even more immigrants from the census, such as those in the U.S. on a temporary lawful basis. The proposed changes would also eliminate parts of the questionnaire that seek information on race or ethnicity, which have been included ‌since the first census in 1790.
The proposal ⁠is open to public comment for 30 days.

#julia #harte

(Refiles to remove extraneous reporting credit)
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Soren Jeppesen
COPENHAGEN, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Five European nations aim to sign deals this year to send migrants without legal residency ‌to countries outside the European Union, they said at a meeting hosted by Denmark on ‌Friday.
Germany, Austria, Greece, Denmark and the Netherlands said they had agreed on concrete steps towards a deal with a non-European Union country on return facilities, the latest effort by European nations to reduce immigration.
The countries, known as the Group of Five, did not name the nations they expect to host return centres.

#nations #jacob

A father rejected Democratic lawmakers' expressions of sympathy on Capitol Hill this week, accusing them of only showing concern when the cameras are rolling after his daughter was left permanently disabled in a car crash allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant.
"I reject your guys' sympathy, to be honest with you. There's no way you guys are sorry," Marcus Coleman told lawmakers Tuesday.
Coleman criticized Democratic lawmakers for what he called their "ignorance" during a follow-up interview Thursday, telling Fox News' Trace Gallagher that he struggled to make them understand his position.
"Talking with the Democrat representatives, I mean, the language they speak is ignorance, and it's hard for me to translate what I'm trying to say to them," he said. "I can explain it all day, I just can't understand it for them."
Angel Dads Face Another Father's Day Without Children Killed By Illegal Immigrants: 'She Should Be Graduating'

#hill

US-based money-transfer platform Felix Pago has raised $200m in a funding round to support its expansion beyond remittances.
According to a Bloomberg report, the company intends to move into financial services such as lending and savings for Latin American immigrants living in the US.
The funding round was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, Felix Pago said in a LinkedIn post. QED Investors, Castle Island Ventures, Switch Ventures, Contour Venture Partners and Endeavor also participated in the round.
"This funding will accelerate our evolution into a multi-product financial company built around our Cognitive Financial Companion, a conversational experience on WhatsApp designed to understand what our customers need, in their own words, and connect them with the right financial solution," the company said in the post.
Founded in 2020, Felix operates a WhatsApp-based platform that enables Latino immigrants in the US to send international remittances to Latin America. The company recently added a mobile top-up feature, allowing users in the US to purchase phone plans for family members in their home countries.

#financial #funding #round #venture

FIRST ON FOX: A multi-agency operation in Arizona's Yuma Sector led to the arrest of 95 illegal alien truck drivers earlier this month, striking at the heart of human and drug smuggling operations at the U.S. southern border.
All 95 drivers had acquired state-issued commercial driver's licenses; 76 from California, six from New York and the rest from a handful of other states, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The apprehensions continue to demonstrate the high volume of narcotics and human trafficking smuggling operations that are alive and well at the border — even as immigration numbers have plummeted in recent months.
Chaotic Border Chase Ends With Illegal Immigrants Found Crammed In Semitruck Sleeping Area
"We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats, whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking," Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

#border #trafficking

Four days before the 2024 election, Donald Trump declared in Dearborn, Michigan that "the Muslim population" is "liking Trump." On Election Day, the state's Arab Americans helped deliver Trump a victory.
Now, they want nothing to do with him — and are souring on the GOP overall.
Many Detroit-area Arab Americans, who swung hard to Trump over the war in Gaza and cost-of-living issues, are now saying they're fed up with the ongoing war in Iran and slow peace process in Gaza. It's a shift that could have direct consequences on the battle for Senate control, with former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers fighting to hold onto Trump's 2024 gains against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim whose parents are Egyptian immigrants.
Trump's perceived broken promises — exacerbated by GOP attacks against El-Sayed that some see as Islamophobic and racist — are pushing these voters out of reach for Rogers.
"[Trump] promised to make America great again," said Albert Abbas, who presented a peace prize to Trump during his 2024 Dearborn visit. "Did he do that? Did he put American interests first? It's the complete opposite."

#dearborn #muslim

By Sarah Morland
Aug 28 (Reuters) - Nearly 200,000 people were forcibly returned to Haiti in the first eight months of this year, a U.N. official told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday, days after ‌a brutal gang attack killed nearly 50 people near the capital.
The forced return represents at least 20,000 more ‌people than in the same period last year, Indrika Ratwatte, the acting **** istant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the meeting.
Sunday night's attack took place days after Haiti received its first U.S. deportation flight since the Trump administration won a legal battle ending Temporary Protected Status for around 350,000 Haitians. On Thursday, another flight arrived with migrants from the U.S. and the Bahamas.
Haitian security **** ysts have meanwhile warned that the flood of illegal arms entering the country is worsening the conflict that has claimed more than 21,000 lives since 2022.

#people #security #told #meeting

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is warning that subpoenas are on the table if county prosecutors accused of going easy on illegal immigrants who commit crimes do not cooperate.
Jordan's committee is investigating district attorneys for so-called "sanctuary jurisdictions" who have been accused of taking immigration status into account when pursuing criminal complaints, even when the alleged crime has nothing to do with the suspect's legal status.
"If we have to, we'll use subpoenas to get the documents that we think they may not be giving us. There's a process we always go through. We ask for things, we ask again, we explain why, we work with their office — in some cases their counsel — and back and forth," Jordan explained in an interview with Fox News Digital. "And then if we have to use subpoenas, we certainly will do that ... but we want to know the facts."
Doj Opens Investigation Into Soros-backed Da Accused Of Shielding Illegal Immigrants From Consequences
Of particular concern, Jordan said, is Fairfax County, Virginia, DA Steve Descano. Descano was recently thrust under scrutiny after the stabbing death of 41-year-old U.S. citizen Stephanie Minter, whose accused killer came to the U.S. illegally from Sierra Leone in 2012.

#jordan #descano

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has promised to deport thousands of migrants who are in the country without residence permits, mainly Venezuelans, as he attempts to make significant changes to the nation's immigration policies that he says will reduce crime.
De la Espriella, who was sworn into office three weeks ago, said that he would order the country's national immigration service to conduct raids with Colombian police as early as this week. He announced the new policy in a video released on Sunday night in his X account where he spoke of multiple measures to reduce crime and confront criminal groups.
The ultra conservative leader, who is closely aligned with the U.S. President Donald Trump, said that law enforcement will first target migrants who are "committing crimes" and then, those who are living in the country without regular status.
"I will not accept any illegal immigrants, wherever they come from," de la Espriella said in the video. "They will have to leave and be deported. It is a political decision I am taking responsibility for."
Most migrants living in Colombia come from neighboring Venezuela, a nation that lost about a fifth of its population over the past decade as Venezuelans fled a repressive regime that oversaw years of economic turmoil, and a 75% contraction in the nation's GDP.

#without

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of southern Tunisia, killing at least two people and leaving 12 missing, Tunisia's national guard said Saturday. One survivor was rescued.
Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli told state news agency TAP that authorities recovered two bodies and transferred them to a hospital on the nearby island of Djerba. He told national radio Mosaique FM that about 15 people were believed to be aboard the boat when it took off between the cities of Zarzis and Ben Guerdane.
The boat had set off early Thursday, and a commercial ship found the sole survivor Saturday in a life jacket, Mosaique reported, citing testimony from the survivor.
A helicopter and coast guard boats were then dispatched to the area in search of more survivors, according to an ***** ociated Press photojournalist at the scene. The migrants were believed to be headed toward Italy.
Zarzis has long been a departure point for Tunisians and others from around Africa or beyond attempting to cross the Mediterranean toward Europe.

#tunisia

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten promoted a nationwide back-to-school boycott of retail giant Target over the weekend because the company had not condemned ICE operations in Minnesota — the location of its headquarters — prompting criticism from education advocates and a call for federal scrutiny.
"We gave Target ample time to stand with the communities in which they operate and help their neighbors, but its silence about federal immigration abuses has been deafening," Weingarten said in a statement.
"The issue could not be more pressing: Seven months since the murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, masked ICE agents are still in our streets, our schools and our communities, terrorizing families in the name of Donald Trump's illegal and immoral ****** ault on immigrants striving for their American Dream," she continued. "That's why we're urging our members to avoid Target and patronize more ethical shopping alternatives this back-to-school season."
Weingarten also shared a video on Instagram, where she directed families to the AFT's "Shop Smart, Not Target" website, which maps local back-to-school shopping alternatives. The organization launched the campaign Wednesday after sending Target CEO Michael Fiddelke letters in February and March.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten promoted a nationwide Target boycott over the retailer's response to ICE operations.

#target #federation

The Republican National Committee warned Wednesday that the Democratic Socialists of America's online tribute to Fidel Castro would damage Democrats in November after the group praised the late Cuban dictator and demanded U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's prosecution over the Trump administration's pressure campaign in Cuba.
"Democrats are openly embracing the same policies that left the people of Venezuela, Cuba and China with empty shelves, no electricity and their freedoms stripped away," national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre told Fox News Digital. "Their embrace of this poisonous ideology is political suicide, and it will be their downfall in November."
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, condemned Castro's legacy in a post on X last Thursday about Castro's death. He did not mention the DSA by name.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Accuses Marco Rubio Of Lying To Americans To Justify Action Against Cuba
The Democratic Socialists of America praised Fidel Castro and demanded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's prosecution for crimes against humanity.

#secretary #socialists #castro #november

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher tore into a Democratic congressional candidate in Seattle for abandoning a key liberal cause to better appeal to Muslim sensibilities.
Maher targeted Melissa Chaudhry, a progressive Democrat and self-described "White American convert to Islam" who is challenging longtime Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., in Washington's 9th Congressional District.
"A few weeks ago, a liberal Democrat named Melissa Chaudhry, running for Congress in Seattle, was asked why, among the many progressive causes listed on her website, LGBT rights was conspicuously absent. Because, she said, 'A lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,'" he said.
"Is this the progressive policy now?" he asked. "Is Ms. Chaudhry right? We throw gay people under the bus anytime it clashes with what makes Muslims uncomfortable?"
Bill Maher Rips Immigrants Who Refuse To Adapt, Says American Values Are 'Not Negotiable'

#Seattle #melissa #congressional

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Ayoub Akbili needed money for his mother's surgery. Hamza Haibouri wanted a shot at a professional soccer career. Abdelouahed Iken was chasing the glossy life a friend posted about on Facebook from Italy.
So when they heard rumors that Morocco's border with Spain was open, they decided to join the rush to try to reach Europe.
All three died attempting to cross, becoming victims of the deadliest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain.
Fueled by misinformation, poverty and lack of opportunities, more than 70,000 would-be migrants from Morocco and beyond swam or climbed over a breakwater last month to try to reach Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the North African coast. At least 90 people died attempting to cross the border, according to official figures; rights groups reported a much higher toll. Many families still haven't been able to retrieve the bodies.
Nearly all the survivors have returned to Morocco, and both countries have intensified security measures. Moroccan and Spanish authorities blamed social media rumors and human smuggling networks for the surge, while migrants cited unemployment and low wages as major factors.

#migrants

By David Latona and Maria Alejandra Cardona
MADRID, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants who recently entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta staged a protest on a popular urban beach on Sunday, urging Spanish authorities to grant them asylum instead of ‌sending them back to Morocco.
They were among the estimated 5,000 to 8,000 who remain in Ceuta after the mass border crossing two ‌weeks ago that saw over 72,000 people surge into the tiny territory of about 80,000. The vast majority returned voluntarily in the following days.
With the city's resources overstretched, most migrants were living in precarious conditions on El Trampolin beach or the city's outskirts while awaiting a chance to journey on to continental Europe.
"We're sleeping next to the sea, with cold and bad smells. We're suffering a lot," said Ayoub Elarroud from Morocco's Tetouan, adding that police were blocking migrants from going to the city centre.

#madrid

Comedian Bill Maher argued Friday that immigrants must **** imilate to American culture and accept certain fundamental values like gay rights, women's equality and free speech, saying those principles are "not White values," but liberal ones.
During his latest episode of HBO's "Real Time," Maher blasted both sides of the political spectrum for their approach to immigration within the country, adding there's "no doubt" Democrats and Republicans "went to extremes."
"If you want the American dream, you have to take the American values," he said.
However, a public policy professor at Penn State University told Fox News Digital Maher had it wrong.
Dem Rep Seth Moulton Says Party Has No Immigration Plan, Is Only 'Opposition To Trump'

#Friday

Aug 14 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to strip nearly 1,100 Somalis ‌of legal protections against deportation that have allowed them to live and ‌work in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston allowed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for Somalia after the U.S. Supreme Court in June allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti and Syria.
The Supreme Court's ruling, powered by its 6-3 ‌conservative majority, curtailed the ability ⁠of judges to review DHS efforts under Trump to end TPS designations for 13 countries that provided humanitarian immigration protection ⁠to eligible migrants from those nations.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two other judges last week allowed the administration to similarly end TPS for South Sudan and Myanmar. Only the end of TPS for ‌Ethiopia remains blocked by a judge.

#supreme #judges #reuters #Friday

President Donald Trump scored a major legal victory Friday after a federal judge cleared the way for his administration to terminate temporary legal protections for thousands of Somali nationals living in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston lifted a stay that had prevented the Department of Homeland Security from terminating Somalia's Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation, citing a June Supreme Court ruling that sharply limited judicial review of similar administration actions.
The decision allows the Trump administration to move forward with ending TPS for Somalia, potentially exposing affected migrants who lack another lawful basis to remain in the U.S. to deportation.
Supreme Court's Latest Immigration Ruling Will Cause Americans To 'Die And Suffer' Attorney Warns
A side-by-side photo of protesters demonstrating against the Trump administration's immigration policies, and a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump signing executive orders at the White House. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday, May 14, in a case involving birthright citizenship in the U.S. Photos via Getty Images

#supreme #judge

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawyer Kamalpreet Chohan ran her finger down a list of 57 names of people scheduled to appear during a morning of hearings at the immigration court in California's capital and pointed out one glaring absence.
"None of these folks are represented," she said.
Chohan is the coordinator of a program that sends volunteer lawyers to immigration courts to ***** ist people without representation and help them navigate the complicated legal system where the stakes are a future in America or deportation.
Appearing without a lawyer opens up even greater risk under the second Trump administration, with the courts playing a key role in its mass deportation agenda. Courts are increasingly denying asylum, deportation officers have arrested immigrants in court hallways, the administration has packed courtrooms to cut backlogs and reduced lead time on hearings, prompting people to miss them.
Data shows that legal representation can be vital to winning in court but many immigrants, unable to pay for a private lawyer or find a pro bono one, navigate the system without an attorney at their side.

#courts #court #chohan #hearings

EXCLUSIVE: Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico bragged in a resurfaced interview that his church had stirred controversy by housing a family of illegal immigrants who were set to be deported by ICE, laughing as he said that "Christianity is just another word for causing trouble."
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who serves as a Democratic state representative, is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for a Senate seat that is critical to both parties.
In a resurfaced clip of Talarico speaking on Texas Impact's "Weekly Witness" show in June 2023, he credited his faith for "why I am in politics." Asked how his faith influences his politics, Talarico pointed to examples of his church advancing progressive causes, saying, "Justice is just love out in public."
"Our church was really active in LGBTQ rights in the '90s. We caught some attention by letting an atheist join our church in the 2000s, and then in the 2010s, again stirred some controversy by housing an undocumented family, a mother and son, who were close to being deported by ICE," he said. "That was the tradition that I was brought up in. It's what led me to teach public school students on the west side of San Antonio, led me to run an education nonprofit and then led me to run for office."
Texas Dem Nominee James Talarico Invokes Faith To Defend Abortion Rights, 'The Bible Is Silent On Abortion'

#talarico #church

There has been a small slice of Wales in Argentina for more than 150 years.
About 160 Welsh emigrants sailed to Patagonia in 1865 to create a new settlement, 'Y Wladfa', where their language, culture and religion could flourish free from English influence and dominance.
The language is still actively spoken there, while more than 50,000 Patagonians can claim Welsh ancestry.
One of those is Jeremias James.
James was born and raised in Trelew, a city founded in 1886 by Welsh settlers in the Chubut province.

#welsh #james #Argentina #english

By Nate Raymond
Aug 7 (Reuters) - Two federal judges on Friday cleared the way for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to end temporary protections from deportation that ‌had allowed thousands of people from South Sudan and Myanmar to live and ‌work in the United States.
Judges in Boston and Chicago rejected last-ditch efforts by immigrant-rights advocates to maintain the Temporary Protected Status designations for the two countries after the U.S. Supreme Court in June allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti and Syria.
The Supreme Court's ruling, powered by its 6-3 conservative majority, curtailed the ability of lower-court judges to review the U.S. ‌Department of Homeland Security's efforts under ⁠Trump to end TPS for about a dozen countries.
The designation covers people whose home countries have experienced natural disasters, armed conflicts or other extraordinary ⁠events, providing eligible migrants temporary protection from deportation and work authorization.

#judges #temporary #countries #protections

By Kristina Cooke, Andrew Chung and Daniel Trotta
Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday in a new but narrower attempt to curtail birthright citizenship, once again challenging a provision of the U.S. Constitution even though the Supreme Court rejected his previous effort.
Limiting birthright citizenship has been one of the ‌top priorities in the Republican president's crackdown on immigration, with the White House taking particular aim at what it calls "birth tourism," in which pregnant foreigners travel to the U.S. to ‌give birth.
After his June 30 setback in the Supreme Court, Trump called on Congress to act, but on Thursday he opted for executive orders, which set policy but do not carry the same weight as laws passed by Congress.
The Supreme Court had struck down as unconstitutional Trump's earlier executive order, which targeted a wide swath of immigrants in the country illegally or temporarily.

#citizenship

Delaware State Police arrested a dance teacher who allegedly ***** ually abused students.
"The Delaware State Police have arrested 23-year-old Emily Pryor Albino of Seaford, Delaware, for felony ***** ual abuse and solicitation of teenage children as part of an ongoing investigation," according to a press release.
While the announcement indicates there were two alleged victims, it also notes that authorities have reason to think there are actually more.
Illegal Immigrants Among 70 Arrested In Mississippi Child Exploitation Crackdown: Feds
Emily Pryor Albino is facing multiple felonies for allegedly ***** ually abusing two of her teen dance students.

#emily #albino #dance #allegedly

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's ability to brush aside criticism and push through enlarged versions of the Club World Cup and World Cup lent him an air of omnipotence, but a failed private investor plan has left his position under threat for the first time.
When the 56-year-old, who holds Swiss, Italian and Lebanese citizenship, strode onto the pitch with his close friend, US President Donald Trump, after the World Cup final a fortnight ago, his stock could not have been higher.
The largest and most complex edition of the sport's jewel in the crown, featuring 48 teams and spread over three countries, was largely judged a success despite a series of off-pitch controversies.
He had also delivered more money into the coffers of his electorate, FIFA's 211 member ***** ociations.
The son of Italian migrants, who once said he had been bullied in Switzerland when he was a youngster for having red hair and freckles, was riding high.

#italian #president #club #swiss

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's ability to brush aside criticism and push through enlarged versions of the Club World Cup and World Cup lent him an air of omnipotence, but a failed private investor plan has left his position under threat for the first time.
When the 56-year-old, who holds Swiss, Italian and Lebanese citizenship, strode onto the pitch with his close friend, US President Donald Trump, after the World Cup final a fortnight ago, his stock could not have been higher.
The largest and most complex edition of the sport's jewel in the crown, featuring 48 teams and spread over three countries, was largely judged a success despite a series of off-pitch controversies.
He had also delivered more money into the coffers of his electorate, FIFA's 211 member ****** ociations.
The son of Italian migrants, who once said he had been bullied in Switzerland when he was a youngster for having red hair and freckles, was riding high.

#club