Five-year-old Sophie Cruz delivered a powerful message to Pope Francis on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., urging the pontiff to give his blessing on immigration reform.
Sophie, of Los Angeles, California managed to slip past the barricades and approach the popemobile near the National Mall. A security guard stopped Sophie, but Pope Francis motioned twowards her and one of the bodyguards carried the young girl over for papal kiss and blessing.
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The bodyguard then handed the Pope a letter and yellow T-shirt that read in Spanish: “Pope: rescue DAPA, so the legalization would be your blessing.”
DAPA refers to the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program, which would protect parents from deportation of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years. The legislation is currently in limbo after 26 states sued to prevent it.
Sophie, who describes herself a “U.S. citizen with Mexican roots,” said she lives in fear that she will one day be separated from her parents who are in the U.S. illegally.
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“I want to tell you that my heart is sad,” Sophie told reporters, reciting from memory the letter she delivered to Pope Francis and had memorized in Spanish and English.
“I would like to ask you to speak with the president and the Congress in legalizing my parents because every day I am scared that one day they will take them away from me. I believe I have the right to live with my parents, I have the right to be happy,” she continues to recite.
“All immigrants just like my dad help feed this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect. They deserve an immigration reform.”
READ MORE: Pope Francis heads for U.S. and a deeply divided Washington
Pope Francis, who has become known as the “People’s Pontiff,” spoke at a ceremony before thousands on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday where he touched on several divisive issues including: climate change, U.S.-Cuba relations, marriage and immigration.
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