American Immigration News: Little Girls Asks Pope Francis and President Barack Obama to Help Reform US Law for Her Father
President Barack Obama wasn't the only American Pope Francis wanted to see at the Vatican onThursday. The other was 10-year-old Jersey Vargas of Panorama City, an area in northern Los Angeles.
Prior to the President's visit in the Roman city, Jersey got to meet with Francis and delivered him messages from numerous children of undocumented immigrants. The messages asked that both the pope and President Obama discuss immigration reform.
According to the Los Angeles Times, L.A.'s KTLA-TV reportsthat Jersey's father, who came to the U.S. when he was 16, was recently caught without a valid license and currently faces deportation.
Jersey said her family relies on her father to provide for them and also said that she fears she will never get to see him again.
"My dad was the provider for my family, and when I heard about my dad it really broke my heart because I would never think of my dad being away from me and I feel like I'm [not] going to see him again," Jersey said.
According to the Tidings, a Los Angeles-based Catholic new publication website, Jersey went on the trip to the Vatican with the San Gabriel Mission Church and the Catholic Coalition for Immigrants Rights group.
Jersey had to fight her way through the crowd of Francis fans before personally delivering her message along with a handkerchief embroidered with two birds and nest, which represent her parents and her home.
"My father is suffering," Jersey said. "It's not just, and other children in the United States are suffering just like I am."
According to Tidings, Francis told Jersey that he would speak with the president regarding the issue.
"Now that I talked to Pope Francis, I feel much more assured because I finally completed my mission, telling him about my dad and also millions of other children are going through the same situation," she said.
During the 52-minute long meeting between the two leaders, President Obama said they discussed "the poor, the marginalized, those without opportunity, and growing inequality."