Meet the Girl Who Became the Face of Immigration Reform with a Kiss from the Pope

Who is the little girl, who got a personal papal blessing Wednesday when she slipped through a barricade as Pope Francis was being driven by?

Sophie Cruz was a guest of Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City and her meeting was no accident.

The unscripted moment captured international attention as the plucky five-year-old made it past security to wrap her arms around the Pope and become an advocate for millions of undocumented immigrants living in limbo.

Sophie, whose parents are undocumented and whose father labors at a Los Angeles factory, was chosen as the most likely advocate to get close to the pope.

Alicia Flores, executive director of La Hermandad in Los Angeles, told MSN the group chose Sofie because the pope has previously shown a soft heart for children.

According to MSN, Sophie had already tried and failed to get through to the Pope at the White House.

So she tried again and managed to get around a metal fence as the Popemobile made its way down Constitution Avenue. She caught the pope’s eye, and the pontiff -- known for interacting with people in crowds -- waved the little girl over.

A security guard at first tried to usher her away, but then carried her to the pope, who embraced her and kissed her head in front of a national television audience.

The little girl handed the pope a letter, in which she urged the pontiff to talk to President Barack Obama about immigration.

“For the immigrants, they are good people,” she wrote in Spanish in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News. “They know how to work in the fields, growing oranges, watermelons, onions and many vegetables. Because they deserve to come out of the darkness and be recognized for the hard work that they do, like my dad, who I almost never see.”

She also handed the pope a hand-drawn picture, depicting the pope holding hands with a line of five children. The photo is captioned “My friends and I love each other, no matter the color of our skin.” She also gave the pope a yellow shirt.

Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City, said the shirt is worn by supporters of Hermandad Mexicana. Sophie and her father were among the members of the organization who received tickets from Cardenas’ office to watch the pope’s speech to Congress Thursday.

Sophie told MSN she rarely sees her father, because he works many days from 4:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. “She hopes one day she won’t live in fear that her father could be forced out of the country they call home,” according to MSN.

Sophie’s father, who has been working in the United States for 10 years, told MSN his daughter worries about losing her parents because she has seen families separated before.

“The fathers and mothers of U.S.-born children live in complete uncertainty,” Raul Cruz said. “I believe Pope Francis was sent by God.”

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.