2024: John Fife and Dora Rodriguez

John Fife is an important figure who was involved in the original Sanctuary Movement and helped found the immigrant rights group No More Deaths. For 35 years, he served as a minister at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson.

In 1992, Fife was elected as the General Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is now the pastor emeritus at Southside Presbyterian. During the 1980s, Fife co-founded the Sanctuary Movement in the U.S., which mobilized over 500 churches to aid refugees in crossing the border and finding sanctuary.

Subsequently, in 2004, religious leaders in Tucson formed a coalition named No More Deaths to address immigrant fatalities along the U.S./Mexico border. Fife has been actively involved in this initiative since its inception.

John has been married to Marianne for 60 years. They have two sons, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

In 1980, Dora Rodriguez escaped El Salvador’s civil war and was one of thirteen survivors found near death while crossing the border through the Sonoran Desert. Dora shares her migration story and advocates for migrants’ rights, making her a prominent figure in Tucson, AZ’s sanctuary movement.

Through public speaking and advocacy, Dora aims to raise awareness about the challenges migrants face in the desert and to drive positive changes to the immigration injustices in border towns.

Dora, a proud grandmother, resides in Tucson with her husband and five children. She is also the Director of Salvavision, a nonprofit that provides aid and support to migrants and deportees.