Georgia student joins lawsuit over plan to gut Job Corps centers

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ALBANY, Ga. - A Georgia student has joined a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor over the Trump administration’s decision to shut down Job Corps centers across the country.

Anaria Cabrera is one of seven plaintiffs represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group and Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

SEE MORE: South Fulton leaders demand action after Job Corps program paused

The backstory:

In late May, the Department of Labor announced a nationwide "pause of operations" for dozens of Job Corps centers run by private contractors. The department cited an internal review that concluded the program was costly and had a low success rate.

The review also identified safety issues at the residential campuses. The Department of Labor said it would transition students and staff out of the locations by June 30.

Established in 1964, the program was designed for teenagers and young adults who struggled to finish high school in traditional school settings and then go on to obtain training and find jobs. Participants received tuition-free housing, meals and health care.

Local leaders speak out against loss of Atlanta Job Corps program

The U.S. Department of Labor has eliminated the Job Corps program across the nation. That means teens and young adults in Atlanta and Georgia have been impacted. Local leaders are now speaking out.

What we know:

The complaint says that Cabrera enrolled in the Turner Job Corps Center in Albany, Georgia, in late 2024 to learn a trade. She had previously enrolled in the program in 2019, but not able to complete it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the closure announcement, she had earned her high school diploma and driver's permit and had begun the Job Corps' Certified Nurse Assistant trade program.   

"On June 6, 2025, Ms. Cabrera was told she would be unable to move on to the next phase of her CNA program as her instructor had been terminated as part of the DOL-directed shutdown in operations. She does not know where she would live if she were forced to leave the Center’s dorms, and would likely end up at a homeless shelter," the lawsuit reads.

The plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to declare that the closing of the country's 99 Job Corps centers and suspension of the program as unlawful and to force the government to resume the program.

What they're saying:

"The Department of Labor’s sudden closure of Job Corps centers and suspension of the Job Corps program is cruel and unlawful," Public Citizen Litigation Group attorney Adam Pulver said. "As a result of the Department’s illegal actions, tens of thousands of young people, including our clients, will lose vital access to housing, health care, and the opportunity to build a more stable future for themselves and their families. As directed by Congress, the Centers must be kept open and the program must be restored."

"The Job Corps program since its creation by Congress in 1964, has been an important program helping students find housing security and pathways to economic opportunity across the country and particularly in the south, especially for people of color, with nearly half of the participants in the program being Black youth," SPLC deputy legal director Scott McCoy said. "Shutting down these centers would do great harm to these students and communities. We cannot let the closures stand."

The other side:

A report released in April by the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration said Job Corps operated at a $140 million deficit during the last fiscal year and had an average graduation rate of under 39%.

"Our recently released Job Corps transparency report showed that in 2023 alone, more than 14,000 serious incidents were reported at the Job Corps centers, including cases of sexual assault, physical violence, and drug use," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told lawmakers during an appearance before the House Education and Workforce Committee in June. "This program is failing to deliver safe and successful outcomes our young people deserve."

The National Job Corps Association maintained the statistics were misleading. It said the 14,000 serious incidents included power outages, inclement weather, athletic injuries that required treatment and adult students leaving campus without prior approval.

What's next:

A U.S. District judge in New York has temporarily blocked the federal agency from shutting down the Job Corps until next Wednesday over a separate lawsuit fighting against the closures. That order could be extended again.

The lawsuit by Public Citizen Litigation Group and the SPLC will be heard in the future.