Little Sophie Cruz, who is the daughter of illegal immigrants, managed to make her way through the crowd of thousands lining Constitution Avenue and got within feet of Pope Francis’ open-air popemobile before Secret Service agents stopped her.

However, the determined youngster who was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, caught the eye of the pope who beckoned his guards to allow her to approach and he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a blessing.

She then handed over a letter pleading for his intervention in her family’s battle to stay in the United States.

The note called upon the 78-year-old pontiff to help her mother and father, as well as the millions of others who are in the U.S. illegally, to remain in the country.

It stated: ‘I believe I have the right to live with my parents, I have the right to be happy. ‘All immigrants just like my dad help feed this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect. They deserve an immigration reform.’

She also handed the leader of the Catholic church a bright yellow t-shirt that read: ‘Pope: rescue DAPA, so the legalization would be your blessing.’

Pope Francis is renowned for being sympathetic to the plight of migrants and introduced himself to Americans on the podium as ‘the son of an immigrant family.’ He is expected to lecture Congress of the subject of immigration on Thursday.