As Pope Francis arrives in Washington, D.C., a group of 100 women, many of them undocumented, are also set to arrive in D.C. after marching 100 miles from a detention center in York, Pennsylvania, in order to greet the pope. Domestic worker Silvia Gonzalez, who is walking with the group, said the march is intended to send a message that families belong together and should not be separated by U.S. immigration policies.

Silvia Gonzalez: “My message for him, it’s for peace, for dignity, for love, for all the families together. My mom lives in Mexico. I’ve been here for 15 years in U.S.A., and I don’t see my mom for these 15, long, long 15 years. I live here, and my daughter and my granddaughter live here also. And I know I can go, I can go see my mom, but I can’t come back.”

The pope had reportedly wanted to begin his U.S. trip by crossing the Mexican border, but the plan had to be scrapped for logistical reasons. In January, Pope Francis said, “To enter the United States from the border with Mexico would be a beautiful gesture of brotherhood and support for immigrants.”