Job Corps alumni and faculty lament Trump administration cuts to the program

Job Corps program alumni and faculty are anxious about the looming end date as they scramble to provide assistance to students who have also relied on Job Corps for free housing and food.

Mariyah Louis used to think she wouldn't make it to 27 years old.

Louis was in the foster care system as a teenager before turning to Job Corps, a government-funded program that provides free career training to low-income students. Now, she owns an auto detailing business — a success she attributed to her Job Corps experience.

"I was able to pretty much rebuild my whole life, whereas most foster youth do not have that many opportunities coming out of a situation like that, and I've been independent, taking care of myself since 17," said Louis, who is now 27.

Last week, the Labor Department said it would pause Job Corps operations at 99 contract-operated centers by the end of June, leaving thousands of students in limbo. A judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Labor from taking steps to close Job Corps. The judge ordered a hearing later this month on the issue.

Uncertainty about the fate of the program has left alumni and faculty anxious about the potential end date as they scramble to provide assistance to students who have also relied on Job Corps for free housing and food.