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St. Paul Job Corps center can stay open, federal judge rules

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Published  June 26, 2025 9:56pm CDT
St. Paul
FOX 9
Federal judge rules Job Corps centers can stay open

Federal judge rules Job Corps centers can stay open

The fallout continues from the government’s decision to pause a taxpayer-funded training program for low-income students. A federal judge ruled that Job Corps centers can stay open while a lawsuit against the government plays out.

The Brief

    • Job Corps centers nationwide can remain open while a lawsuit against the government plays out, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
    • The Labor Department announced in May that it planned to pause the program, ordering centers to clear dorms and wind down operations by June 30.
    • The federal judge overseeing the lawsuit said the government intends to shut down the program, not pause it, something he said would make some students homeless.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Job Corps centers can remain open while a lawsuit against the government unfolds, delivering a victory to students and others who criticized the decision to pause the decades-old training program.

Federal judge says Job Corps centers can stay open

What we know:

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter ruled that the government cannot shut down the program without congressional approval. The ruling allows the centers to remain open until a lawsuit against the government is resolved. Carter also took issue with the word "pause" – he said the Trump administration intends to close – not pause – the program, something he said would send some students into homelessness.

The backstory:

In May, the Labor Department announced plans to pause the program, which started in the 1960s. It cited low graduation rates and a high cost to taxpayers, among other concerns. The Trump administration ordered the more than 100 contracted centers nationwide to close their dorms by June 6 and wind down operations by June 30. The St. Paul campus had about 170 students before the government’s decision; it now has about 60. About 100 students left before the June 6 deadline, with many of them returning to their home states with bleak prospects. Some said they expected to become homeless.

The National Job Corps Association, a trade organization, sued the government to stop the program pause, arguing it would disrupt the lives of thousands of students and trigger mass layoffs.

What they're saying:

"You don’t hit the ground running; you just hitting the ground period," former student Tyrone Bills said in an interview on June 1. "Straight homeless – nothing. Just straight into the ground."

Others shared frustrations over the program’s closure.

"The people here have kind of become like family to me, and it hurts a lot seeing everybody kind of being broken up like this," said former student Hayden Heffner.

What's next:

The Job Corps campus in St. Paul is working to contact students who left to see if they would like to return. It is unlikely that the center will be able to convince all the students to return, according to a source who works at the center.

St. Paul