3 days ago
VAAP reports one self-deportation after Job Corps shutdown announcement
VERGENNES, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – The Vermont Asylum Assistance Project reports that 'at least' one student has self deported following the Trump Administration's order to shut down the Job Corps program nationwide.
The Northlands Job Corps, Vermont's only center, is required to close its doors by June 30. Closing this establishment will reportedly displace over 200 students and eliminate numerous Addison County Jobs.
Vermont unemployment rose to 2.7% in April
Executive Director of VAAP Jill Martin Diaz noted 'When young people are driven to self-deport because they feel abandoned and unsafe, our systems have failed them. What's happening at Northlands is part of a national pattern of federal attacks on immigrant children.'
Becca Balint responded to the closing in an Instagram video, saying that 'This is an incredible program that trains people in welding, construction, food service, automotive, nursing—jobs that are critical to our economy… I'm just so angry that they have targeted this program… This is why I'm so frustrated with this administration.
They are hurting the people in lower and intermediate classes and catering to people at the top.'
The U.S. Department of Labor is suspending Job Corps across the U.S. because it does not achieve the intentional outcomes 'that a student deserves', according to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in an article from 'The Hill'.
VAAP is reportedly urging officials to take federal action, halting the disassembly of Job Corps. and restoring funding.
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