Sofia Cruz delivered a message about immigration
The
five-year-old daughter of undocumented immigrants managed to deliver a
hand-written message to Pope Francis by pushing past metal barriers and a
phalanx of security guards.
On his first official visit to the US, the Pope paraded through Washington DC, greeting thousands of the faithful.
Sofia Cruz was stopped at first when she pushed past the barriers but the Pope waved her forward.
To loud cheers, the Pope gave Sofia a hug and a kiss and took her note.
"She
came back and her father was just in tears. And the whole crowd in my
section were just going nuts," said Joseph Reblando, who was standing
next to the Cruz family.
Sofia said she wrote the letter about
the five million children in the US like herself whose immigrant parents
could be deported.
She also included a drawing with a message in
Spanish that translates: "My friends and I love each other no matter our
skin colour."
Sofia was initially escorted away by police, but the Pope called her back
This is a photo of a drawing Sofia gave to the Pope
Immigration has become a major issue in the US presidential race with some candidates urging mass deportations.
About 11 million people, some with native-born children, live in the US illegally.
Democrats have advocated providing them with a path to citizenship, but many Republicans oppose such measures.
Sofia
and her parents, who are from Mexico but now live in a suburb of Los
Angeles, said they hope the Pope will speak about the immigration issue
when he addresses the US Congress on Thursday.
Title : Girl gets through security to deliver message to Pope
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