As the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul prepares to close its doors, dozens of young adults are facing an uncertain future. The closure leaves many without housing, education, or other skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

Last week, the Department of Labor announced that they would pause operations for Job Corps centers nationwide. Students and staff are expected to leave by June 30th.

The Department of Labor decision “aligns with the President’s FY 2026 budget proposal.” Also stating that the Job Corps program has faced “significant financial challenges under its current operating structure.”

“People come to Job Corps because they have no other place to go, they have no other family to turn to,” said Job Corps student, Christopher Walter.

Walter joined the program to get away from a parent that experienced a psychotic episode. He found himself a community, and a family at Job Corps.

“I’m actually crying behind my sunglasses right now,” said Walter. “Job corp was essentially family, it’s a home away from home.”

Job Corps, the largest federal job training program for low-income youth, has been a lifeline for young people, offering a place to live, learn and prepare for careers. Now, with no alternative – the future for these young adults remains unclear.

“It makes me want to cry, it’s just really hard,” said Job Corps staff member Laura Nelson. “They were promised if they worked hard, did what they were supposed to do they’d get something out of it.”

Finding job opportunities, outside resources and homes is all the staff at Job Corps can do for now.

“For every single center across the country you have a homeless population of around 25%,” said Christopher Kuhn, Job Corps Executive Director Center of Operations and Support. “I don’t know where they all will go and I don’t know what services will be available for them.”

While the closure has been met with shock and disappointment, local organizations like the Salvation Army’s Booth Brown House, is stepping up to support. The Booth Brown House, a shelter for homeless young adults, is preparing for the surge of homeless youth displaced by the job corps closure.

“We do have capacity in our emergency shelter to take a handful and we have seen interest from those youth when the time comes,” said Erin Foss, Program Director at the Booth Brown House.

Although disappointed at the closure, Foss remains hopeful. The Booth Brown House staff visited the Job Corps to discuss housing and job opportunities.

“We’re going to do our best to keep encouraging and assist them in finding other resources so these youth continue to move forward and don’t fall through the cracks,” said Foss.

Pushing back, Christopher Kuhn, is urging the public to ensure that these young adults don’t get forgotten.

“America needs skilled workers, let us help. That’s what we do. Otherwise you’ll have a whole generation of young people that’ll be a burden on our economy and society, when they can really be contributors. And they want to be, they want to help,” said Kuhn.

As the June 30th deadline approaches, the future of the young adults still remains uncertain. But there is still hope for some of the students and staff at the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center and centers across the nation.

On June 3rd, the National Job Corps Association (NCJA) filed “a motion for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to stop the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) closure of 99 Job Corps campuses nationwide.”

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from eliminating the Job Corps program.

A hearing is set for June 17, where the fate of the program will be decided. 

The White House’s new travel ban takes effect on June 9. The 19 countries listed as a security concern by President Trump also include some of Minnesota’s largest immigrant communities.

“My parents were actually from the country of Laos. They can here after the fall of the Vietnam war,” said Hmong-American Mike Hang.

“The civil war is the reason why I’m here and made Minnesota my home,” said Somali-American Jaylani Hussein.

Two Americans with Hmong and Somali heritage. President Trump cited specific security concerns for each of these 19 countries with travel restrictions.

Two of those, Somalia and Laos, are responsible for some of the largest immigrant populations in Minnesota.

“Most folks who have been in the process of coming to the U.S. have been vetted, went through a process sometimes five, six, seven years. There is no other option,” said Hussein.

“It’s also very hard on the elders, too, right? Because they’re pretty old now and they do want to go see some family back there, it’s made it hard for them,” said Hang.

The President’s travel restriction proclamation listed specific security concerns with each country.

Somalia faces a full travel ban. The President cited a “persistent terrorist threat,” describing the country as a safe haven for terrorists and saying the country’s government is not vetting or screening travelers’ identities properly.

“It cuts deep for a community that’s seen little progress in Somalia,” said Hussein.

Travelers and immigrants from Laos are facing partial restrictions, with nearly 35% of people who come here on temporary basis overstay their visas, according to a Trump administration report.

The national security concerns and travel restrictions, leading to uncertainty for families in Minnesota.

“They’re very uncomfortable. We don’t know if someone’s gonna get banned,” Hang told WCCO.

A controversial high school softball team has made the Minnesota state championships for the first time after their star transgender pitcher smashed two doubles and pitched a complete game in a walk-off win.

Trans athlete Melissa Rothenberger’s performance helped her Champlin Park team beat White Bear Lake 3-2 on Wednesday, leading a girl on the losing team to cry and ask her father, “Why can’t you do something?” according to OutKick.

Rothenberger, a junior, went 2-3 at the plate for Champlin Park, sparking her team’s comeback victory after falling behind 2-0 and sending them to the Group 4A state championship Friday.

“She’s always clutch,” Champlin Park coach Bryan Woodley told Twin Cities Pioneer Press after the semi-finals win. “I think she’s the best centerfielder in the state. She’s just a great all-around player.”

Two fathers of girls on the White Bear Lake team told Outkick they were frustrated that their daughters were forced to compete against a biological male.

One said that players’ parents regretted voting for Minnesota Democrats who’ve allowed the youth athletic system to operate this way.

“You’re looking at a whole team of future Republicans,” one dad said.

The Minnesota State High School League [MSHSL] permits students to compete under gender identity, despite President Trump’s executive order barring all biological men from women’s sports.

The league has said that the inclusion of trans athletes is protected and “determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution,” Outkick reported.

While national governing sports organizations such as USA Softball and the NCAA have implemented female-only policies in women’s sports, state-level laws have created loopholes that allow trans athletes to participate.