Immigration activists look for boost from Pope Francis

As tens of thousands of people gathered on the West Front of the Capitol to glimpse Pope Francis, a group of activists chanted and sang in support of citizenship for illegal immigrants.

The said the pope’s support for immigrants and refugees had given new momentum to the cause.

“He said it himself, he’s the son of immigrants,” said Pablo Tapia, co-founder of the Assembly for Civil Rights, a pro-immigrant activist group in Minnesota.

Mr. Tapia, who came with a group of 17 activists from Minnesota, was referring to the pontiff’s speech Wednesday at the White House.

“There is no way the leaders of Congress who are of the Catholic faith are going to be able to ignore him — like [House Speaker] John Boehner,” he said. “He can ignore me but he can’t ignore the pope.”