{"id":5967,"date":"2014-04-04T22:10:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-04T22:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/after-meeting-pope-daughter-of-immigrants-reunites-with-father\/"},"modified":"2014-04-04T22:10:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-04T22:10:00","slug":"after-meeting-pope-daughter-of-immigrants-reunites-with-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/04\/after-meeting-pope-daughter-of-immigrants-reunites-with-father\/","title":{"rendered":"After meeting Pope, daughter of immigrants reunites with father"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Los Angeles, Calif., Apr 4, 2014 \/ 04:10 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The young girl who asked Pope Francis to intercede with U.S. President Barack Obama on behalf of the children of deported immigrants has been reunited with her father after a two-year separation.<\/p>\n

\tOn March 26, 10-year-old Jersey Vargas met with Pope Francis and gave him more than 1500 letters from children with similar stories to her own.<\/p>\n

\tJust a few days later, on March 29, she was able to embrace her father, Mario Vargas, upon arriving at Los Angeles International Airport.<\/p>\n

\tMr. Vargas, an undocumented immigrant detained by officials six months ago after he was caught driving without a license, was released from a federal detention center in Louisiana on March 28.<\/p>\n

\tUnable to find work in Los Angeles, where his family was living, he had spent the previous two years working in construction in Tennessee and Louisiana.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWords cannot express what my daughter has done for me,\u201d he told the Archdiocese of Los Angeles newspaper The Tidings.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt\u2019s been so difficult to be separated from my family. There are many men [in detention] that are suffering. They don\u2019t want to be locked up away from their families \u2013 it\u2019s a sad place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCommenting on her experience meeting Pope Francis, the young Vargas told reporters, \u201cFor me he is a marvelous person. He\u2019s the closest to God.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tShe said that when she asked the Holy Father to intercede with U.S. President Barack Obama for her father, the Pope responded, \u201cYes, I will talk to the president about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPope Francis met with Obama in the Vatican the following day, March 27.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe have all felt a divine providence in this,\u201d said Mario Vargas\u2019 lawyer, Alex Galvez, who accepted the case pro bono. \u201cWe can\u2019t explain how this has come to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe judge who heard Mr. Vargas\u2019 case reduced bail from $15,000 to $5,000 on account of good behavior, Galvez said. While other obstacles still remain, he said that the toughest part is behind them.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cJersey\u2019s little voice has been heard across the United States,\u201d Galvez said.<\/p>\n

\tBefore leaving for the Vatican, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles gave the young girl a medal of Our Lady of Guadalupe to carry with her on the trip to the Vatican.<\/p>\n

\tVargas, who had been afraid to fly, said she found consolation in the gift, and knew the Blessed Mother was with her. Mario\u2019s wife, Lola, sent an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the detention center, mixed in with family photos. It was a great solace to him as well.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPlease take care of my children, please take care of my children,\u201d he would pray. \u201cI kept asking God for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tLola, who has carried the family financially while her husband has been in custody, believes God did just that.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt\u2019s a miracle,\u201d she said. \u201cGod put people in our lives to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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