Declaration — East Bay Sanctuary v. Trump

Record facts

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California · No. 4:18-cv-06810-JST · Doc. 71-6 · 2018-12-04 · Docket on CourtListener

Summary

A declaration under 28 U.S.C. § 1746 filed December 4, 2018 as Doc. 71-6 in East Bay Sanctuary v. Trump, No. 4:18-cv-06810-JST, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The declarant, a public health researcher in Brownsville, TX, makes it in a personal capacity as a volunteer assisting asylum seekers waiting at the B&M Bridge in Matamoros, Mexico since July 2018. The numbered paragraphs describe bringing food and supplies to people waiting at the bridge and the weather and health conditions the declarant observed there. The remainder of the eight-page filing is the declarant's curriculum vitae, listing education, public health and legal advocacy positions, publications, certifications and community service.

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Full text

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DECLARATION OF LISA MITCHELL-BENNETT 
I, Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, hereby declare under the penalty of perjury pursuant to 28 
U.S.C. § 1746: 
1. 
I make this declaration based on my personal knowledge except where 
I have indicated otherwise.  If called as a witness, I could and would testify 
competently and truthfully to these matters.   
2. 
I was born on March 30, 1967.  I am a United States citizen. I am 
fluent in Spanish and English. 
3. 
I live in Brownsville, TX.  I am employed at a local university as a 
public health researcher.  I have masters’ degrees in public health and international 
development, and I am currently working on a doctorate in public health.  I am 
making this declaration in my personal capacity. 
4. 
I am a concerned citizen volunteering with an ad hoc group of 
volunteers to help asylum seekers in the Brownsville, TX area.  Since July 2018, I 
have been assisting asylum seekers waiting to enter the United States at the B&M 
Bridge (“the bridge”) in Matamoros, Mexico.  I take breakfast to the asylum 
seekers waiting at the bridge most Sunday mornings and occasional other days of 
the week.  Along with delivering food I bring supplies like diapers, blankets and 
sanitary napkins in coordination with other volunteers. I have also visited the 
bridge on and off on some weekdays over the last few months. 
5. 
I am particularly concerned about the asylum seekers from a public 
health perspective.  When I visit the bridge, the people I meet are often very wet 
due to heavy rains or high humidity, and their blankets are soaked through.  
Children and adults are often dehydrated and suffer severe heat exhaustion and 
sunburn during the very hot South Texas summers. As winter sets in they are very 
cold, sleeping on the hard cement with only a blanket and maybe a piece of 
cardboard beneath them. I have seen skin irritations from lack of bathing and 
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Lisa Mitchell-Bennett, MA, MPH 
225 Hibiscus Ct. Brownsville, TX 78520 
(956) 466-5657 
lisa.mitchell-bennett@uth.tmc.edu 
 
Education: 
 
Master of Public Health, MPH 
University of Texas, School of Public Health (2010) 
 
Master of Arts, International Development Administration, MA  
School for International Training, Brattleboro, VT (1994) 
 
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science/International Relations, BA  
University of California, Riverside, CA (1989) 
Dean’s List; Departmental Honors 
 
Certificate, Estudios Hispanicos (1987) 
University of Granada, Spain 
 
Experience: 
 
Project Manager  
University of Texas, School of Public Health 
Brownsville, TX   2011 – present 
Manage a large team of multi-project initiatives with numerous institutional 
partners throughout the region. Projects include a diabetes chronic care 
management program with community health workers, local hospitals, clinics and 
behavioral health providers (Salud y Vida); an evidence-based youth obesity 
intervention in the schools and community (MEND); a navigation program for a 
mobile clinic serving uninsured, rural population; a community-wide campaign 
with media, policy and environmental change working in 9 towns and cities (Tu 
Salud ¡Si Cuenta!); and supervising numerous graduate and undergraduate 
student for research internships. 
 
Quality Assurance Coordinator 
University of Texas, School of Public Health 
Brownsville, TX   2011 - 2013 
Coordinated monitoring and quality assurance for a multi-disciplinary team; 
developed and evaluated interventions to address obesity and diabetes through 
a community-wide campaign including media, policy and environmental change 
to support healthy choices. Managed relationships with community partner 
institutions, provided training and supervision to community health workers, 
created and evaluated content for media campaign, involved in grant writing and 
reporting. Responsible for monitoring, training and implementing coordinated 
efforts with a clinical research unit, local community partners and research 
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investigators. Developed and provided training for organizations and community-
health workers across the state. 
 
Senior Research Associate 
University of Texas, School of Public Health 
Brownsville, TX   2003-2011 
Coordinated intervention research and community outreach efforts for multiple 
projects. Facilitated research center’s community advisory board; oversaw mini-
grant funding for community-based organizations, schools and clinics; provided 
support and resources to community groups to engage in design, evaluation and 
dissemination of culturally appropriate programs. Coordinated community health 
worker training and a media campaign “Tu Salud, Si Cuenta” with U.S. and 
Mexican media partners. Provided research coordination on numerous 
community based participatory research studies addressing health disparities 
including diabetes, teen pregnancy, obesity, cancer (HPV) and emergency 
preparedness as well as Hispanic science education (manage multi-university 
summer science high school internship program). Co-facilitated a course on 
Conducting and Analyzing Focus Group Data and guest lecturer in Evaluation 
and Health Promotion courses. 
 
 
Project Director/Health Education Coordinator 
Brownsville Community Health Center  
Brownsville, TX 1997 - 2003 
Managed Campus Care Centers, school-based health center with 3 full-service 
clinics in a large school district serving uninsured and indigent students and their 
families; supervised multi-disciplinary team including medical and mental health 
care providers, social workers, medical assistants and office personnel. Also 
served as coordinator of health education, prevention and outreach efforts for the 
community health center (FQHC) in the satellite clinics and schools; coordinated 
community-based health education on violence prevention and sex education for 
the school district. Responsible for grant writing, reporting, staff supervision, 
design and implementation of curriculum for award-winning health promotion 
efforts in the schools and community. 
 
Division Director, Adult Education and Job Training 
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Philadelphia, PA  1995 - 1997 
Directed multi-facet job training and adult education programs for a large inner-
city agency in North Philadelphia. Provided contract and grant management; 
supervision of a large staff including teachers, trainers, social workers and 
project coordinators; worked closely with city-wide domestic violence programs to 
recruit and retrain women looking to reenter the workforce; collaborated with the 
Private Industry Council, the Community College of Philadelphia and the 
American Street Empowerment Zone; participation on an Executive Management 
Team for the larger agency. 
 
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Project Director 
Mano a Mano/One Border Foundation  
Brownsville, TX—Matamoros, Mexico 1993-1995 
Directed and co-founded a bi-national community health worker organization 
“Mano a Mano” in U.S.-Mexico border communities of Matamoros, Mexico and 
Brownsville, Texas. Designed and implemented recruitment, training, grant-
writing and facilitated project’s advisory board. Fostered cross-border, cross 
institution relationships and supervised community health workers. Accompanied 
health worker on home visits and addressed barriers. 
 
Legal Advocate/Unaccompanied Minors Program Coordinator 
Casa del Proyecto Libertad, Harlingen, TX  1991-1993 
Coordinated advocacy and legal services to Central American unaccompanied 
minors and refugees. Involved in local and national advocacy efforts; provided 
legal services to detained adult political asylum applicants; represented in 
Immigration Court as Accredited Representative, researched human rights policy 
and provided legal rights presentations in immigration detention facilities and 
shelters. 
 
Associate Editor, Latin America Press 
Lima, Peru 1990-1991:   
Researched, edited and translated for a scholarly bilingual publication covering a 
broad range of political and economic issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Publication based in Lima, Peru. 
 
 
Trainer, Centro Cultural Costaricense-Norteamericano 
San Jose, Costa Rica 1990: 
Designed and implemented cross-cultural curriculum for rural Central American 
youth preparing for high school exchange program and university agricultural 
programs in the U.S. Worked with U.S. AID funded agricultural grant. Based in 
San Jose, Costa Rica. 
 
Organizer, Farm Labor Organizing Committee 
Toledo, OH   1987 
Recruited farmworkers to become members of a labor union through human 
rights presentations; provided social services and outreach to labor camps 
across northern Ohio. Organized FLOC annual convention which hosted Cesar 
Chavez and United Farm Worker Delegates from across the county. 
 
Publications/Presentations: 
 
o Fernandez ME, McCurdy S, Arvey S, Morales-Campos D, Tyson, S, 
Useche, B, Mitchell-Bennett, L, Sanderson, M.  HPV Knowledge, 
Attitudes, and Cultural Beliefs among Hispanic Men and Women in South 
Texas. Ethnicity and Health. December 2009. 
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o Heredia, N, Lee, M, Mitchell-Bennett, L, Reininger, B.M. Tu Salud¡ Sí 
Cuenta! Your Health Matters! A Community-wide Campaign in a Hispanic 
Border Community in Texas. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 
2017. 
 
o Heredia, N, Lee, M, Mitchell-Bennett, L, Reininger, B.M. Tu Salud, Si 
Cuenta! Your Health Matters! A quasi-experimental design to assess the 
contribution of a communitywide campaign to eating behaviors and 
anthropometric outcomes in a Hispanic border community in Texas. 
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. In Press. 
 
o Montoya, J. A., Salinas, J. J., Barroso, C. S., Mitchell-Bennett, L., & 
Reininger, B. (2011). Nativity and nutritional behaviors in the Mexican 
origin population living in the US–Mexico border region. Journal of 
Immigrant and Minority Health, 13(1), 94–100. PMCID: PMC3034163 
 
o Reininger, B. M., Mitchell-Bennett, L., Lee, M., Gowen, R. Z., Barroso, C. 
S., Gay, J. L., & Saldana, M. V. (2015). Tu Salud,¡ Si Cuenta!: Exposure 
to a community-wide campaign and its associations with physical activity 
and fruit and vegetable consumption among individuals of Mexican 
descent. Social Science & Medicine, 143, 98-106. PMCID: PMC4642277  
 
o Reininger, B. M., Barroso, C. S., Mitchell-Bennett, L., Chavez, M., 
Fernandez, M. E., Cantu, E., Smith, K. L., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2014). 
Socio-ecological influences on healthcare access and navigation among 
persons of Mexican descent living on the U.S./Mexico border. Journal of 
Immigrant and Minority Health, 2014 Apr;16(2):218-28 PMCID: 
PMC4377819 
 
o Reininger, B. M., Barroso, C. S., Mitchell-Bennett, L., Cantu, E., 
Fernandez, M. E., Gonzalez, D. A., Chavez, M., Freeberg, D., & McAlister, 
A. (2010). Process evaluation and participatory methods in an obesity-
prevention media campaign for Mexican Americans. Health Promotion 
Practice, 11(3), 347–357. PMCID: PMC2877153 
 
o Mitchell-Bennett, L., "Social cognitive theory and factors associated with 
Mexican-American parents' beliefs, attitudes and practices regarding 
communication with their adolescent children about sex" (2010). Texas 
Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI1470749.  
http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI1470749 
 
o American Public Health Association (APHA) Paper presented 
(Washington D.C.,2007) “Latina mothers' communication with their 
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adolescent children about sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and the 
reproductive system” 
o American Public Health Association (APHA) Paper/Poster presentations 
(Philadelphia, 2005); “Assessing Cultural Beliefs and Practices Regarding 
Healthcare Utilization Among Hispanics in the Lower Rio Grande Valley 
(LRGV)”  &  “Assessing Attitudes and Science Career Choices Among 
Hispanic Youth in LRGV” 
o Research Symposium, University of Texas, Brownsville. “Hispanic 
Adolescent Attitudes and Preferences Regarding Employment During 
High School” (2007) 
o Healthy Communities Annual Meeting, “Assessing Cultural Beliefs, 
Attitudes and Practices of Lower Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Parents’ 
Communicating With Their Adolescent Children About Sex” (2006) 
o Rio Grande Valley Science Association Annual Conference, San Juan, 
TX, “Assessing Attitudes and Science Career Choices Among Hispanic 
Youth in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas” (2005) 
o U.S.-Mexico Border Health Conference, El Paso, TX “Campus Care 
Centers: Comprehensive School Based Health Centers” (1997)  
o University of Texas Health Science Center, Border Health Conference, 
Presenter / Expert Panel Member San Antonio, TX, “Mano a Mano; A 
Promotora de Salud Model” (1995) 
 
Certifications: 
 
o Department of State Health Services Community Health Worker Instructor 
certification (2012- present) 
o Accredited Representative, Accredited by the Board of Immigration to 
represent political asylum cases in Federal Immigration Court (1995) 
 
Community Service: 
 
o Board of Directors, Brownsville Wellness Coalition (2017-Present) 
o Guardian Ad Litem, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights 
 (2015-2017) 
o Friends of the West Rail Trail Organizing Committee (2015- Present) 
o Board of Directors, Episcopal Day School (2012-2014) 
o Board of Directors, Casa del Proyecto Libertad (1999-2005) 
o United Brownsville Health Committee (2010-2013) 
o Volunteer, La Posada Soup Kitchen, Brownsville, Texas (2010-2013)  
o Institutional Animal Care Research Committee, University of Texas, 
Brownsville (2010) 
o Vestry, Church of the Advent Episcopal (2007-2008) 
o Rio Grande Valley Science Association, Board Member (2004-2008) 
o Steering Committee Member, REACH Coalition/Walk El Valle (2002-2003) 
o Advisory Board Member, Mano A Mano Promotoras (1998-2000) 
o Health Trendbenders, Healthy Communities of Brownsville (2002-2008) 
o Member, National Assembly on School Based Health Care (1997-2000) 
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o Steering Committee, American Lung Association (1997-1998) 
o Executive Committee, Save Our Children Brownsville (1997) 
o Board Member, American Street Empowerment Zone (1995-1997) 
o Member, Philadelphia Job Developer’s Network (1995-1997) 
o Member, Singing City Philadelphia Inner City Choral Music (1995-1997) 
o Volunteer Director, Cameron Park Community Center (1993-94) 
o Executive Committee, March of Dimes Rio Grande Valley (1993-1995) 
o Delegate, Citizen’s Observer Mission to El Salvador (1994) 
o Volunteer, General Board of Global Ministries UMC (1991-1993) 
o Volunteer, Pamplona Alta Soup Kitchen, Lima, Peru (1990-91) 
 
Awards and Honors: 
Domonic Napoli Humanitarian Scholarship (1985); United Methodist Church 
College Scholarship (1985); University of California Alumni Award for Community 
Service (1989); University of California, Dept. of Political Science Honors (1989); 
Ford Foundation Immigration Advocates Training Scholarship (1991); Rio 
Grande Valley Human Rights Award (Holy Spirit Parish-1995); Congress of 
United Latinos’ Service Award (1997); Award for Excellence in Texas School 
Health (2000); University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center, American 
Public Health Association Annual Conference Scholarship (2006); Finalist, 
Fulbright U.S. Student Program Scholarship. 
 
Other Experience: 
 
o Teacher (English as a Second Language and Spanish),  
o “The Language Connection”, Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix Public Schools,  
o Arizona, and Euroidiomas Language Institute, Lima, Peru.  
o Intern, International Affairs Council, Riverside, CA  
o Teacher Trainer, Brownsville Independent School District Developed and 
implemented puberty and sexuality education training for district teachers, 
counselors and nurses, Brownsville, TX 
 
Languages:  
English (Fluent); Spanish (Fluent); French (Proficient).  
I have lived and/or worked in Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, Switzerland, 
Spain, Costa Rica, Peru and the U.S.  
                                                    
References available upon request. 
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