In an interview with NBC4 before the trip, Sofi said she wanted Pope Francis to speak personally to President Barack Obama about legalizing all immigrants.

Pope Francis waved Sophie over to his vehicle and she was lifted up to him.

As the pope made that turn onto Constitution Avenue in his Popemobile, little Sophia managed to get past the metal fence.

She entered the US with no documents in the early 1990s.

Alicia Flores of La Hermandad, an immigration advocacy group, says the girl is 5-year-old Sophie Cruz of suburban Los Angeles.

Immigration is expected to be among the topics Francis addresses in a speech to Congress on Thursday.

(CNN) European Union states struggling to handle a migrant influx must “end the cycle of mutual recriminations and misunderstandings” and show unity, the head of the EU Council said Wednesday.

The pope’s acknowledgment of America’s being built by immigrants is significant and comes at a crucial time as we have GOP presidential candidates forgetting about the country’s roots and suggesting mass deportation, the building of enormous walls to block borders and other dehumanizing methods to stifle immigration rather than develop a democratic plan for reform.

The Pope wrapped up his first full day in the U.S with a packed schedule that included everything from a speech at the White House to a first-ever canonization on American soil.

About 11 million people, some with native-born children, live in the United States illegally. “What I hear from Pope Francis is overwhelmingly compassion and justice, and I think we in this country desperately need that”, said Peter Pedemonti, director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, a coalition of faith-based organizations in the area advocating for immigration reform. “What we’re hoping is that [Pope Francis’] broad message of love and mercy and justice can also be put into issues that are actually on the ground”, he said.

According to Spanish-news media, Latinos expect that the pope will continue the conversation on immigration during his visit to the United States later this month. We pray together for me and for them to have strength to keep fighting for our dreams.