Sophie Cruz, a five-year-old girl who is the daughter of illegal immigrants, hugged Pope Francis on Wednesday in her second attempt at getting to him so she could give him a letter about immigration.
Sophie was lucky the second time when the pope, upon seeing the girl being lifted by her father Raúl from the barricade, motioned her to approach him while he was in his popemobile.
The little girl first tried to approach the pope during a parade outside the White House but was stopped by security, according to The Washington Post.
Sophie had traveled to Washington with her father to see the pope as well as ask him to help push for immigration reform in the country because she does not want to live in fear of being possibly separated from her parents.
Her parents illegally migrated from Oaxaca, Mexico to California 10 years ago. Sophie, along with her sister, was born in the U.S. and identifies herself as an American "with Mexican roots," The Guardian reported.
Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional, an organization based in Los Angeles, funded for Sophie's trip to Washington to see the pope along with her father, five children and 18 adults, with the intention of giving them an opportunity to deliver their message about immigration reform, according to Cleveland.com.
