Federal Courts Block Trump on Job Corps, AmeriCorps, Harvard Foreign Student Ban, and Texas Dream Act

A series of federal court rulings have temporarily blocked key Trump administration actions affecting education and service programs. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary injunction halting the administration's efforts to eliminate the Job Corps program, which provides job training for low-income and at-risk youth. The planned closure of Job Corps centers, including the elimination of 168 jobs at the Astoria center in Oregon, was put on hold.

Separately, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to terminate AmeriCorps, following lawsuits from a coalition of state attorneys general. The court ordered the reinstatement of grants and restoration of service programs, impacting thousands of volunteers and local initiatives. The administration had previously cut roughly $400 million in AmeriCorps funding and fired nearly 85 percent of its employees.

In higher education, President Trump issued a proclamation barring foreign students from entering the United States to attend Harvard University, citing national security concerns and the university's ties to China. The order, which also threatened to revoke Harvard's federal funding and accreditation and was supported by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. Harvard's international students make up 27% of its enrollment, and the university has received $55.6 million in donations and $13.7 million in contracts from China and Hong Kong in recent years.

The administration's actions were partly justified by a 2023 Harvard training event involving the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a sanctioned Chinese paramilitary group. The administration also threatened Columbia University's accreditation. These measures have led to legal challenges and have caused uncertainty among international students, some of whom are now seeking opportunities in other countries.

In Texas, a federal court permanently enjoined the enforcement of the Texas Dream Act, ending in-state tuition for undocumented students after a lawsuit from the Trump administration.