Thank you Jodi

Hi! I’m Penny Curry, Jodi Goodwin’s long time friend and fellow attorney. I have created this GoFundMe page at the request of numerous people who know and love Jodi. She did not ask for this page to be created and it is intended to be a surprise for her.

Who is Jodi Goodwin?

Jodi is a fierce woman with such a strong moral conviction that she places the human rights of vulnerable immigrants over her own. Besides being a beloved friend to many and mother, Jodi is a celebrated immigration attorney on both the national and international stage.

Since 1995, Jodi has represented thousands of asylum seekers, economic migrants, long-term permanent residents, businesses, families, and United States citizens in removal proceedings. She also represents immigrants in federal court in both criminal and civil proceedings. Because Jodi believes in equal access to justice, she runs a “low bono” practice which provides many immigrants with legal representation who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Jodi is also the recipient of numerous accolades. She listed in The Best Lawyers in America for immigration law and Texas Superlawyers as one of the top 1% in immigration law. Ms. Goodwin has the highest “AV” rating in the Martindale-Hubbel legal directory and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. In 2007 Ms. Goodwin was honored with the Arthur C. Helton Award for Advancement of Human Rights by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Most recently, she was awarded the 2019 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award.

International bodies and non-governmental organizations also frequently come to Jodi for advice based on her work in the trenches. This includes the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, amongst others.

What is Proyecto MPP Matamoros?

Jodi has been in the trenches of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, ever since the local implementation of the Migrant “Protection” Protocols (MPP), commonly known as “Remain in Mexico”, began in July 2019.

Since July, Jodi has gone above and beyond the call of duty, devoting hundreds of pro bono hours to “street lawyering” in Matamoros at the expense of her own financial and emotional well-being. Despite her struggles, she does it because “it’s the right thing to do.”

Jodi jumpstarted Proyecto MPP Matamoros along with Team Brownsville. Every other weekend, Jodi and a team of volunteer lawyers hold pro se asylum workshops for refugees in La Plaza del Puente Nuevo. Organizing this project, on top of her own private practice, has been a gargantuan task and a labor of love. There are currently 1,000 refugees living in the streets of Matamoros. Jodi and the legal team are serving the vast majority of these refugees in the workshops - more than 700 of them. More often than not, workshops are held in 90+ degree weather from 9:00 A.M. to 5 P.M. Saturday and Sunday.

Moreover, this work involves a lot of secondary trauma and danger. Many refugees have been exposed to extortion, kidnapping, physical and sexual assault, and attempted murder, both in their home countries and the streets of Matamoros. Indeed, Matamoros is in a U.S. State Department Level 4 Travel Advisory zone - on par with Syria and Afghanistan. This is a huge risk for Jodi, especially considering that she has three minor children who depend on her.

If you’d like to learn more about Jodi’s recent work in Matamoros, please Google it. She has appeared in countless local, state, and national media outlets.

Why does Jodi need your help?

Jodi has jumpstarted, organized, and maintained Proyecto MPP Matamoros at the expense of her own financial, physical, and emotional well-being. Jodi’s current legal intern can attest to the incalculable money, time, and energy Jodi has invested in the project (seriously, ask her). Jodi is receiving help from organizations, but it is not possible for them to cover all the expenses and work hours Jodi has put into the project.

What will donations be used for?

Our $2,000 goal is a meager ask considering everything Jodi has done in recent months and in the past few years of successive immigration crises. Donations will be used to recoup expenses Jodi has incurred over the past few months, as well as personal expenses that have been impacted by all the pro bono hours she has performed. It will help Jodi and her three kids make ends meet.

Thank you for reading! Please consider donating and/or sharing.