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by Ariana Figueroa, West Virginia Watch
May 8, 2025

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Thursday made an emergency request to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the deportation of more than half a million immigrants granted humanitarian protections under the Biden administration.

A federal judge in Massachusetts in April blocked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from ending the humanitarian parole program for 532,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. An appeals court rejected the request from the Trump administration to stay the lower court’s order.

In the filing to the high court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues that the Immigration Nationality Act bars judicial review of discretionary decisions, such as humanitarian parole.

Sauer adds that Noem terminated the program because it does not align with the interests of the Trump administration.

“The district court’s order stymies the government’s ability to terminate parole grants that the Secretary has determined undermine U.S. interests, and thus it inhibits the government’s pursuit of its foreign policy goals,” according to the brief.

Presidents for decades have used their parole authority to allow for migrants to obtain protected status.

President Joe Biden created the program in 2023 that temporarily grants work permits and allows nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to remain in the country if they are sponsored by someone in the United States.

Thursday’s emergency request is one of several immigration related challenges the Trump administration is asking the high court to intervene in after district courts and appeals courts have ruled against the administration.

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on ending birthright citizenship, the use of the 1798 wartime Alien Enemies Act, revoking Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and requirements to return a wrongly deported Maryland man from El Salvador.

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Trump asks U.S. Supreme Court to end humanitarian protections for migrants from 4 nations appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This content presents a factual report on a legal and political issue involving immigration policies and the Trump administration’s attempts to challenge Biden-era protections. The language is largely neutral, focusing on describing actions taken by both administrations and judicial decisions without overt editorializing. However, the focus on the Trump administration’s legal challenges and the framing of these actions as efforts to pursue government and foreign policy goals reflect a slight tilt toward a conservative perspective, emphasizing enforcement and restrictions on immigration. Overall, the piece maintains a primarily factual tone with a subtle leaning toward center-right viewpoints due to the subject matter and framing.

by Shauneen Miranda, West Virginia Watch
May 8, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved a measure Thursday that would codify part of President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

The bill — which was passed on a nearly party-line vote, 211-206 — calls on the head of each federal agency to “update each document and map of the Federal agency in accordance” with the new name within six months of enactment.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska was the only Republican to vote against the measure.

“Our country has more important issues to worry about,” Bacon said in a statement shared with States Newsroom.

“The Administration is making great strides securing our border and cutting waste in government. But we need to focus on the reconciliation bill and how to strengthen Medicaid for every American who needs it. Renaming bodies of water is not a priority and sends a bad message to the rest of the world,” he said.

All Democrats stood in opposition. Sixteen House members did not vote, including eight Republicans and eight Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who introduced the bill in January, said “this is such an important thing to do for the American people,” during the floor debate Thursday.

The Georgia Republican said “the American people deserve pride in their country, and they deserve pride in the waters that we own, that we protect with our military and our Coast Guard and all of the businesses that prosper along these waters.”

The legislation is unlikely to move far in the Senate, where it would take 60 votes to advance. Republicans control the chamber 53-47. The Senate has 45 Democrats, but two independents, Sens. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, caucus with the party. 

Meanwhile, a federal judge in April sided with The Associated Press and granted the wire service a preliminary injunction in its case against the Trump administration over allegations of denied access to restricted spaces at the White House due to its editorial decision to use “Gulf of Mexico” rather than “Gulf of America.”

The bill says “any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico shall be deemed to be a reference to the ‘Gulf of America’” and directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to “oversee the implementation of the renaming.”

In a Statement of Administration Policy on Tuesday, the White House said it “strongly supports” passage of the bill and that Trump’s advisers would recommend he sign it into law if the legislation were presented to him in its current form.

Ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged a strong “no” against the bill, which he described as a “silly, small-minded and sycophantic piece of legislation.”

“What are we doing, folks? There are serious issues that the American people want us to confront,” the New York Democrat added. 

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Gulf of Mexico to be renamed ‘Gulf of America’ under bill passed by U.S. House appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The content primarily centers on a bill led by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene aiming to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” reflecting a nationalist and conservative agenda tied to former President Donald Trump’s policies. The article highlights partisan divisions, with most Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats opposing it, describing the Democrats’ stance as criticism of the bill’s priorities. While the report is fact-based and includes perspectives from both sides, the emphasis on conservative figures, the bill’s patriotic framing, and the focus on Republican support mark it as leaning Center-Right in political bias.

SUMMARY: The West Virginia Division of Highways is addressing longstanding flooding issues in Rand with a \$5.5 million storm drain project. The first phase, involving West Virginia American Water moving a water line, is already underway. Residents have faced frequent flooding, damaging personal property, and the project aims to resolve these issues. While the Molden Public Service District initially suggested involvement, they clarified that the project is solely managed by the Division of Highways. Though no exact timeline has been provided, officials note the process will take some time to complete.

Storm drain project underway

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