Federal Judge Halts Trump Admin’s Job Corps Closure

Trump Closes Job Corps Centers — Source: UCG / Getty

Summer ushered in a period of uncertainty for hundreds of Job Corps participants nationwide when the Department of Labor issued a memo in May announcing the abrupt closure of the skills training program. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Public Citizen Litigation Group quickly filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Job Corps students, resulting in a federal judge ruling last week that all Job Corps centers must remain open while the lawsuit proceeds.

According to the Alabama Political Reporter, the ruling found that “the record unequivocally demonstrates that DOL unlawfully ‘closed’ all 99 privately operated Job Corps centers.” The judge found the closure was a violation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which mandates the existence and continued funding of Job Corps.

The ruling is much needed, as earlier last week, a previous injunction was scaled down as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling limiting the scope of nationwide injunctions against presidential orders. Originally, the injunction prevented the closure of all 99 Job Corps centers, but was reduced to only keeping 33 sites active. This new order will keep the Job Corps centers open until a permanent legal solution is reached.

The SPLC issued a statement celebrating the ruling. “The SPLC applauds the Court’s recognition that the Trump Department of Labor exceeded its authority and unlawfully shuttered the Job Corps program, which plays an essential role in strengthening Southern communities. This program has consistently reduced unemployment and homelessness, empowered underserved communities—especially for Black and Brown youth—and breaks the cycle of poverty through education, training, and opportunity,” Scott McCoy, SPLC’s deputy legal director, wrote.

“This ruling ensures that during that period of time where we’re talking about the legality of how this happened, the kids in the centers will have security.”

McCoy added that should the courts rule in favor of keeping Job Corps open, the battle then moves to Congress, which determines funding for Job Corps. Job Corps has historically had bipartisan support, with its attempted closure spurring a rare moment of bipartisanship when several Democratic and Republican senators sent a letter to the DOL in support of the program. Congress has shown an unwillingness to go against the Trump administration.

While the Job Corps centers are safe for now, the Labor Department’s moves are creating an environment of uncertainty for the at-risk and low-income youth who participate in the program in an effort to improve their lives. Several HBCUs are doing their best to combat that uncertainty by providing schooling, housing, and financial aid for students affected by the attempted closure of Job Corps. Many of the young adults in Job Corps rely on the organization for housing and will effectively be homeless should it be shuttered.

The attempted closure of Job Corps is just one of the Trump administration’s many moves showing absolute contempt for America’s at-risk and low-income youth. The Department of Education (DOE) withheld funding for several after-school programs for at-risk students. The DOE finally released the funds last week after widespread, bipartisan outrage but this constant back and forth is depriving at-risk youth of the thing they most need: stability.

It makes it harder for the kids to trust in these programs, and it makes it harder for educators and counselors to have any degree of certainty that they’ll have the resources they need to do their jobs well.

Job Corps ‘Pause’ Is MAGA’s Plan To Eliminate Poor Youth

Federal Judge’s Order Halts Trump Administration’s Job Corps Closure was originally published on newsone.com