California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined 21 other attorneys general in an amicus brief supporting a legal challenge against the termination of the Job Corps program. The case, Cabrera et al. v. Department of Labor et al., is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Job Corps program provides career training and housing to young Americans from low-income backgrounds, and its termination would affect thousands currently enrolled across all 50 states.
In a related case last week, where California also participated with an amicus brief, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction favoring plaintiffs. This injunction prevents the administration from closing Job Corps centers or ending the program without congressional approval.
Attorney General Bonta emphasized the importance of preserving Job Corps: “Gutting Job Corps strips our youth, especially those from underserved communities, of one of the few accessible pathways to stable careers, education, and economic mobility,” he said. “An injunction is essential to protect this critical program and uphold the rule of law.”
The Trump Administration’s attempt to terminate Job Corps could leave many vulnerable young Americans without homes or support systems provided by nearly 100 residential campuses nationwide. According to the brief filed by Bonta and his colleagues, “in the sixty years since Congress created Job Corps, millions of young Americans from low-income backgrounds have been served by the program’s unique combination of education, training, housing, healthcare and community.”
The filing asserts that an injunction is vital to safeguard state residents’ interests in education and workforce development while ensuring compliance with federal law and constitutional mandates.
Joining Attorney General Bonta in this legal effort are attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin.
