Sofi Cruz, a brave 5 year-old girl from Los Angeles, broke through security barriers in Washington yesterday to deliver a message to Pope Francisco. The child of two undocumented parents, Cruz walked toward the Popemobile with a letter and a tshirt for him. Just as security stopped her, Pope Francis stopped his car and asked for the security guard to bring her to him, and embraced her.
Cruz gave the Pope a letter asking the Pope to help her and the many other families suffering from a lack of immigration reform in the United States. She wrote:
“Pope Francis, I want to tell you that my heart is sad and 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. My dad works very hard in a factory galvanizing pieces of metal.
“All immigrants just like my dad need this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect.
“They deserve an immigration reform, because it benefits my country and because they have been working hard harvesting oranges watermelons, carrots, onions, spinach and other vegetables.”
The Pope is going to be addressing a joint session of Congress on the U.S. Capitol today and is expected to help Cruz by raising the issue of immigrants in the U.S. and throughout the world.
