Pope Francis tells Houston immigrant not to lose hope
*A 19 year-old DACA recipient from Mexico got the opportunity of a lifetime last month when he was chosen to talk to Pope Francis, via satellite. He spoke to the Houston Chronicle’s Veronica Flores-Paniagua and told her that aside from the honor, he felt he represented the million of immigrants who live in the U.S. VL
By Veronica Flores-Paniagua, The Houston Chronicle
At about age 16, using a work permit he obtained via the Obama administration policy, the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), he became the family’s breadwinner after his father was injured. A soccer standout in high school, he was set to receive a college athletic scholarship but it was pulled when his undocumented status was revealed. Now he attends Houston Community College’s Southeast College studying finance. He had been working full-time until just recently when his DACA work authorization expired. With the permit now renewed, he hopes to start working again.
[pullquote]He told me that if you have faith, and stay true to your family values and what you were taught, everything will be all right. The moment you lose faith, you lose the battle.[/pullquote]His story and struggle were the focus of an extraordinary encounter a few weeks ago with none other than Pope Francis. In advance of the pope’s first visit to the U.S., which begins today, ABC News produced the global event and hosted it from the Vatican. The pope held audiences via a closed-circuit feed in Los Angeles, Chicago and in McAllen’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which last year was the refugee center for thousands of unaccompanied mostly Central American children who had crossed the U.S. border. The conversation was taped Aug. 31 and aired on Sept. 4.
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[Photo by Ricardo Ortiz]
