On the recordApril 20, 2016
You might recognize this image. This is a photo of Sophie Cruz, my 6-year-old constituent from South Gate, California, who made headlines when she ran through the barricades to meet Pope Francis last year. Sophie is one of 5 million children who is an American citizen but whose parents are undocumented and face deportation. She asked Pope Francis to support DAPA, a program which could prevent her family from being separated. On Monday, DAPA was deliberated in the Supreme Court, and now the fate of millions of children like Sophie and their families is in the hands of the Justices. Sophie was in D.C. on Monday ready to tell her story. She rallied a crowd of hundreds of people on the Supreme Court steps and asked the Justices to think about her family. I could not be more proud of Sophie. But a 6-year-old girl, however courageous she may be, should not have to come all the way to Washington, D.C., to advocate for fixing the broken immigration system. That is our job. The Supreme Court should unfreeze DAPA--but we in Congress need to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform--for Sophie and for millions of children she represents. ____________________
