by Adam Walker The New Haven independent
Plumbing student Troy Sanders: “I want to do something that is gonna make me good money.”
The New Haven Job Corps Center is still up and running, with 149 students currently enrolled and continuing their hands-on training in trades such as construction, carpentry, culinary arts, and plumbing.
But the future of the program — and its ability to enroll new students — remains in limbo amid federal funding cuts, administrative delays, and an unresolved legal battle with the U.S. Department of Labor.
That was one of the main takeaways from a press conference led by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Monday afternoon at the New Haven Job Corps Center site at 455 Wintergreen Ave.
Blumenthal sharply criticized the federal Department of Labor for creating what he called a “self-inflicted wound” to a program that has served Connecticut youth for decades.
At the heart of the standoff is the Department of Labor’s suspension of background checks, which are required before students can begin training. That move has effectively frozen new student enrollment nationwide, blocking more than 15,000 youth from accessing Job Corps centers — including over 70 cleared applicants in New Haven alone.
Six students who had been housed on campus now face immediate housing needs due to the halt. The program runs full-time year-round. Supporters praised the program Friday as a critical pipeline to employment, education, and stability for youth ages 16 to 24.
In May, the federal government under the Trump administration announced its intent to shut down the centers, cutting off educational, vocational, and wraparound services for thousands of young people across the country. The decision followed a Department of Labor report citing low graduation rates, rising costs, and safety concerns — part of a broader push by the administration to scale back federal anti-poverty programs and reduce social safety net spending.
In response, a federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in June to temporarily block the closures. On June 25, the court sided with program advocates, halting the shutdown. Despite the order, the Department of Labor has continued to delay background checks — undermining the injunction’s immediate impact and keeping new students in limbo.
Now, the legal case is entering a new phase. This Friday, July 11, is the federal government’s deadline to submit comments to the court on how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on universal injunctions might affect this case — an extension from the original June 30 deadline. It remains unclear how the ruling will impact the future of Job Corps operations, or whether the current injunction will hold.
Site director Juvenel Levros: Operating below full capacity creates “misleading” impression that per-student costs are sky high.
“The bottom line on Job Corps: It is a success,” Blumenthal said at Monday’s press conference. “It provides not only training, but also residential and support services to young people.”
He said that 115 students graduated from New Haven’s center this year, with another 189 trained in Hartford.
“Ending the Job Corps would be cruel and stupid,” he added. “Cruel to the young men and women who have committed their lives to try and better themselves in America, and stupid because we need them in the workplace”
Blumenthal warned that the delays inflate the per-student cost by driving down enrollment numbers, creating the false appearance that the program is inefficient and triggering a return of federal funds to Washington.
He pledged to keep the pressure on the Department of Labor, rally support in the Senate, and back legal action if necessary. “We’re going to be cajoling, buttonholing, and persuading in the Senate,” he said. “There are now 400,000 manufacturing jobs open in the United States — and we need people with exactly these skills to provide that kind of labor.”
Nahjayiah Munoz, a carpentry student and foreperson at New Haven Job Corps, spoke on Monday about how funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Labor have disrupted the program and the lives of students like herself. She spoke from the workshop where she helps lead peers in hands-on projects like building wooden chairs and garages.
Munoz and her team are currently constructing chairs for campus use — part of the daily projects that give students practical experience and keep the center running.
Recent cuts have had serious consequences. Munoz recalled classmates being forced to leave the program — one from the Virgin Islands, another from Rhode Island — and many students scrambling for job placements without having completed certifications.
“It was very, very stressful at that time,” she told the Independent.
Munoz, a New Haven native, continues to train on-site while mentoring others, but worries about the program’s future if resources keep shrinking.
Troy Sanders, a plumbing student from the Valley, echoed that sentiment. He credited Job Corps with opening doors far beyond what he imagined.
Sanders, who earned certifications through the program, emphasized that the Department of Labor’s funding cuts are especially harmful to students just entering trades like plumbing — fields already facing shortages due to an aging workforce. He explained that Job Corps students learn not only plumbing but also broader maintenance and carpentry skills, preparing them for high-demand jobs.
Sanders emphasized to the Independent the real-world value of the program’s training: “A lot of people are retiring. I want to do something that is gonna make me good money … even if one thing doesn’t work out, I know that skill is helping out my life.”
Carpentry student Nahjayiah Munoz.
Juvenel Levros, the site director of the New Haven Job Corps center, said the pause on background checks has created a bottleneck that could jeopardize the program’s future. “The background checks have been on hold,” he told the Independent. “On top of the fact that when it comes to contracts, there are penalties we serve, so when we’re not at full population, we have to give money back.”
Levros estimated that more than 70 prospective students in New Haven remain in limbo due to the enrollment freeze. Although a federal court injunction has allowed current students to continue training, the ongoing inability to admit new students is driving up the per-student cost. He explained that when the program operates below full capacity, it creates the “misleading” impression that each student costs significantly more — in some cases appearing as high as $200,000 — even though the actual cost of delivering the program has not changed.
Levros said that most enrollees come from the Greater New Haven area, though the center also serves youth from further out in Connecticut such as Hartford and Bridgeport and as far as New York and Massachusetts. Without new students, he warned, the program’s long-term sustainability is at serious risk.
Robert Velez Jr., the center’s recreation supervisor, offered a broader reflection on the program’s value — not just for students, but for staff as well.
“It was such a joyous experience when we recruit young people from outside to save them,” he said, referencing the dangers many students face in their neighborhoods before entering Job Corps. “It not only affects young folks — it affects us adults as well. Because there is a higher purpose in this.”
Velez described Job Corps as a vital lifeline, helping youth avoid cycles of dropout, teen pregnancy, and incarceration.
“There’s a reason why Job Corps has been around so long — because of the success rates, the stories, and inspiration behind the young folks who made it.”
As students, staff, and elected officials await a ruling on the program’s fate, pressure is mounting on the Department of Labor to comply with the court order and restart background checks.
With over 15,000 students nationwide caught in limbo, the outcome of the case — and the court’s interpretation of the SCOTUS ruling on universal injunctions — could determine whether programs like New Haven Job Corps continue to operate at full strength.
On Wintergreen Ave on Monday.
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