Cruz made a name for herself at five years old when she visited Washington D.C. with her family. As representatives of an L.A.-based immigration advocacy group, they were there to deliver a letter to Pope Francis urging him to speak out on behalf of undocumented workers and support the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans Act.

The Pope discussed the issue in a meeting with Congress the following day. Cruz’s activism earned her an invitation to meet President Obama in 2016 even though her parents couldn’t accompany her because of their undocumented status. She took part in the Women’s March in D.C. where, as the featured speaker, she spoke in both Spanish and English saying, “We are here together making a chain of love to protect our families. Let us fight with love, faith and courage so that our families will not be destroyed.”