September 23, 2015
A 5-year-old girl delivered a T-shirt promoting action on illegal immigration to Pope Francis on Wednesday after security brought her to his open-air car at the pontiff's request.
In a video from NBC Los Angeles, several guards carried the girl, who had crossed a police barricade, to Francis while he was traveling from the White House.
The girl, Sofia Cruz, gives the pope a hug and hands him a yellow shirt. Watch the video below:
According to NBC Los Angeles, Cruz was in District of Columbia with a group from an L.A. church and had said in an interview before the visit that she wanted the pope to speak to President Barack Obama about legalizing every immigrant.
Cruz's parents are immigrants from Mexico. She did not get to speak in depth to Francis, but the T-shirt she delivered had the words " Pope Rescue DAPA" written in Spanish on it. DAPA stands for deferred action for parents of Americans, according to NBC.
While delivering his first remarks after arriving in the United States, the pope touched on immigration, promoting a message of inclusion.
