Cabrera v. Department of Labor

Congress established the Job Corps program in 1964 to provide young people with education and vocational training. Currently, Job Corps enrollment is limited to low-income individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 who face barriers to employment, including homelessness. Participants in the programs receive education and training, as well as housing, a biweekly living allowance, and medical, dental, and mental health services. At the start of 2025, there were 99 Job Corps centers throughout the country operated by contractors pursuant to two-year contracts.

On May 29, 2025—in defiance of requirements set by Congress—the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the suspension of the Job Corps program and that all 99 Job Corps centers would be closed by June 30, 2025. As a result, tens of thousands of at-risk young people around the country were told they would immediately, or by June 30, 2025, lose access to Job Corps education and training, their place to live, and their access to health care and other services.

Representing seven Job Corps students, on behalf of a nationwide class, and co-counseling with Southern Poverty Law Center, we filed a lawsuit against DOL over the decision to close Job Corps centers across the country and to shut down the Job Corps program.