At a Glance
- Team Brownsville, a nonprofit aiding migrants for 7 years, has closed.
- Retired volunteers formed Madrinas de Justicia, linked to Grannies Respond.
- They plan to keep helping migrants in Mexico and the U.S. despite legal challenges.
- Why it matters: The shift shows how border-area aid groups adapt amid shifting policy and legal scrutiny.
After seven years of helping migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, Team Brownsville shut its doors, but three retirees are keeping the mission alive under a new name.
A New Mission Emerges
Founding member Andrea Rudnik, 65, and retirees Gerry Page and Kathy Harrington, both 78, launched Madrinas de Justicia, or Godmothers for Justice, to continue their work. They affiliate with the New York-based nonprofit Grannies Respond for broader support and protection. The move follows an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and restrictions on asylum by the Trump administration.
- Andrea Rudnik: “We felt like we needed to ally ourselves to align ourselves with another nonprofit in a different state for support, for protection, so that we could continue doing important work.”
- Gerry Page: “We’ll probably continue to do what we’ve done before. We’ll provide services to the ones over that are stuck in Mexico because they’re certainly not able to come across. So we try to minister them as much as we can with hygiene products or just friendship, you know going over and giving a happy smile and a hug.”
- Kathy Harrington: “There are some that are still hopeful. And they’re holding onto that hope.”
Challenges and Continuity
Paxton dropped the case after courts ruled in favor of Team Brownsville, but Rudnik said the environment remains unsettling. They will accept donations for migrants in Reynosa and Matamoros and help those with pending asylum cases in the U.S.
- Continued donation acceptance
- Assistance for U.S. migrants
- Support for Mexican border towns
Legacy and Future
Team Brownsville once operated a Welcome Center and delivered meals via wagons to shelters and encampments in Matamoros. The center closed amid low border crossings during the second Trump administration. Despite the closure, the new group vows to keep providing hygiene products, friendship, and hope.
Key Takeaways
- Madrinas de Justicia continues the mission of Team Brownsville.
- The group is affiliated with Grannies Respond for broader protection.
- They aim to aid migrants in both Mexico and the U.S. despite policy shifts.
With Madrinas de Justicia, the retirees aim to sustain the compassion and aid that defined Team Brownsville, ensuring migrants still receive help amid changing policies.
