For months, the arrangement worked as planned, and Southside began to fill up with Salvadoran asylum seekers. It started slowly, with Fife opening a small apartment situated in the back of the church building; as the numbers grew, many slept on the floor of the chapel. While Cowan and Castillo were working to spring Salvadorans from detention, Fife became their conduit to the religious community in Tucson and to a coalition of clergy called the Tucson Ecumenical Council. With their help, he raised thousands of dollars for bond, and found churches and religious centers that could house the
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