WASHINGTON-Dozens of Virginia immigrant-rights advocates marched to the steps of the Vatican’s Washington liaison office Thursday seeking the pope’s help to soften enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

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“We are here because we believe our voice is not strong enough,” said Ricardo Juarez in delivering a letter for the pope.

Pointing to families who may soon be split apart due to a recent immigration roundup in Virginia’s Prince William County he said, “We are suffering a very bad situation.”

Juarez is the coordinator of Mexicans Without Borders, the advocacy group which sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking he intercede to “stop the division of our families by raids and deportations.”

Pope Benedict XVI will be the first pontiff to visit the United States in nine years when he comes to Washington Tuesday.

Behind Juarez more than 40 immigrants and their families held signs that said “Stop Dividing Immigrant Families.”

Federal immigration officials arrested more than 30 alleged illegal immigrants March 24 at CMC Concrete Construction near Manassas.

Several of those arrested attended today’s rally in Washington as they await their deportation hearings.

“We want to tell (the pope), he can stop raids, stop separating families,” said Diana Cortez, whose three children are all U.S. citizens.

Her husband faces deportation after being arrested during last month’s raid, she said.

Other immigrant advocates said despite the historic nature of the pontiff’s visit, it will not likely change the congressional politics that last year dimmed any hopes for reforming immigration laws.

“I can do nothing, only pray them,” said Blanca Rodriguez, of Manassas, who anticipates she’ll have to say good-bye to several friends this month.

Officials at the Vatican’s office declined to comment on the letter or whether the pontiff would speak about U.S. immigration policy, which largely impacts families from Latin America - a heavily Catholic population.

But a spokeswoman at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said the pope clearly has the American immigrant community in mind, which is why he recently taped part of his video remarks about this upcoming trip in Spanish.

“He’s recognized already the presence of an important group in this country,” said Mar Munoz, a spokeswoman for the conference, but he would not think it is “the pope’s place” to comment on domestic policies.

“The message is one of compassion, one of understanding the plea of immigrants … without taking anything from the rights of nations to create borders and defend those borders,” Munoz said.

If Pope Benedict XVI does speak about immigration during his Wednesday White House meeting or Thursday Mass in at Nationals Park, it would not be the first time he touched on the subject.

In this year’s annual message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Jan. 13, the pope mentioned laws that can make life difficult for immigrants.

Speaking primarily about the plight of high-educated immigrants who struggle in new countries, the pontiff ended that day’s message with a reference to keeping families united.

“I invite … host communities to welcome the young and very young people with their parents with sympathy.” he said.