Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 22 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of a proposed class of plaintiffs challenging the unlawful termination of Job Corps, a national program that offers career training and housing to young Americans from low-income backgrounds. 

“For more than 60 years, Job Corps has offered vocational and academic training to teenagers and young adults who often lack the support and skills necessary to transition to the workforce and provide for themselves and their families,” Raoul said. “President Trump’s decision to dismantle this vital program is illegal, and I will continue to work with my fellow attorneys general to protect our residents from the Trump administration’s unlawful actions.”

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs in National Job Corps Association et al. v. Department of Labor et al., noting in its opinion that the coalition of states had opposed the termination of the program. 

In their brief – filed on Wednesday in Cabrera et al. v. Department of Labor et al. in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia – Raoul and the coalition urge the court to grant the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction. Their amicus asserts that an injunction is necessary to protect vulnerable residents and promote states’ goals in education and workforce development. The coalition further points out that the Trump administration cannot violate federal law and the Constitution by terminating congressionally mandated programs it opposes.

Raoul and the coalition explain that Job Corps has residential campuses across the country, and the Trump administration’s effort to illegally terminate the program threatens to leave thousands of vulnerable young Americans homeless. They go on to highlight that “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 unlawful termination of the program would impact tens of thousands of young Americans who are currently enrolled and housed at campuses in all 50 states.

Joining Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.