n the offices of the East
Bay Sanctuary Covenant in Berkeley, Sister Maureen Duignan is filling out an
immigration form for a Central American refugee. Another immigrant comes in and
is glad to see her. He needs advice dealing with some bureaucratic matter with
the INS. She counsels him in flawless Spanish. Moments later the phone rings, and
Sister Maureen is on a conference-call with other refugee rights activists across
the nation, discussing strategy for political action.Although the wars that raged in Central America in the 1980s are coming to an end, Sister Maureen says the work for immigrant advocates in the United States is picking up. She is the refugee rights coordinator for the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant.
"We are busier now than in the eighties," she says. "We are trying to help those who come in. We are working with Oakland city officials to declare the city as a place of refuge. We bond people out of detention."
"There is so much anti-immigrant legislation coming our way that it's hard to keep up." But Sister Maureen seems to be keeping up just fine. In the next breath she starts quoting from H.R. 2202, a proposed bill by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, that would severely restrict immigration. She is equally at ease discussing immigration law as she is tending to the needs of immigrants at Casa Esperanza. Throughout her work, Sister Maureen maintains an admiably serene composure that seems to comfort those around her.
Originally from Ireland, Sister Maureen is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. Her work with refugees began in the 1970s in Honduras. This year she received the Peacemaker Award from her order.
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