Peruvian officials are trying to help a local 7-year-old girl who made international headlines by making a comment to first lady Michelle Obama.
The girl told the first lady during a visit to New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., last week that her mother had said President Barack Obama was “taking everybody away that doesn't have papers.''
The girl then added that her mother "doesn't have papers." Michelle Obama tried to reassure her that the president was working to solve the immigration problem and that "everybody's got to work together in Congress to make sure that that happens."
Now Peruvian officials are now looking for the girl’s family to help them with documentation with their home country.
Consul General Cesar Jordan said the girl's parents’ national identification and passports have expired. He said consulate officials learned the girl's nationality after Peruvian media ran stories featuring interviews with the girl's grandfather.
Jordan said he has visited several homes and reached out to immigrant advocacy groups, Catholic organizations and the girl's school to find her, but the family has not contacted the consulate.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said last week that federal immigration officials are not pursuing the family.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who is scheduled to meet Barack Obama next week, has been quoted in Spanish-language publications saying he was "full of pride" that it was a girl of Peruvian descent who highlighted immigration problems in the U.S.
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