On the recordOctober 28, 2015
The poster beside me depicts the moment in Pope Francis' parade through D.C. when a little girl snuck through the barrier and was lifted into the Pope's arms on live TV. That little girl is a constituent of mine, Sophie Cruz, a 5-year-old from the City of South Gate. She is one of 5 million children who are American citizens, but whose undocumented parents face deportation. She gave the Pope a T-shirt with a message in Spanish that read: ``Pope, rescue DAPA so the legalization can be your blessing.'' Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, or DAPA, is a program that would stop the deportation of parents of American children. So far, DAPA faces strong opposition. But is this really what we want, to separate families, to leave American children in the United States without their parents? I could not be more proud to have Sophie as my constituent. Last night my office honored her with a congressional certificate at a ceremony at the South Gate City Hall. I wish that I could have been there last night, but I want Sophie to know that I support her and that I will be fighting for DAPA for her and for the 5 million children just like her across this great country. ____________________
