. >> reporter: jessenia acuna and her friend bradley treasure came from west palm beach, florida. so he appeals to someone like you. >> yes. >> reporter: his message does. >> yes. >> reporter: what about it specifically? >> acceptance and love. >> reporter: and reconciliation. he first stopped in cuba to meet with the patriarch of the russian orthodox church which split with the vatican nearly 1,000 years ago. aboard the plane, the pope emphasized his mission in mexico to try to heal a country, which has lost an estimated 100,000 people in a vicious drug war over the last decade and to highlight the plight of migrant by traveling from southern mexico, where many start their journey, and ending with a symbolic mass at the u.s.-mexico border. the pope's first mass here in mexico city will be tomorrow. scott, his visit is also meant to reinvigerate catholics here where it's estimated the number of people raised catholic and

jessenia acuna says, "how was i supposed to get here if they changed the law? it would have been impossible." most cuban refugees no longer try to reach miami on makeshift rafts in the florida straits. both risky. they now fly to a latin american country like ecuador then spend months making a trip through land and a half dozen other countries before reaching the texas border. 51,000 arrived here last year, 68% of them through laredo. >> it's a whole transnational human smuggling operation. >> reporter: jorge duany studies cuban migration patterns at florida international university. well organized? >> very well organized and it's supposed to be the second most profitable illegal network after the illegal trade business. >> reporter: most head to miami. at this refugee resettlement office, we met an drass hernandez. his trip here from cuba took eight months. he told us, "it was a lot of stress air, lot of days without eating," but worth it to him and other cubans, immigrants desperate to start fresh in america and worried they may soon join the back of the line

jessenia acuna says, "how was i na supposed to get here if they it would have been impossible." most cuban refugees no longer n try to reach miami on makeshift rafts in the florida straits. s e they now fly to a latin american ri country like ecuador, then spend months making a trip through land and a half dozen other countries before reaching the texas border. 51,000 arrived here last year, 68% of them through laredo. >> it's a whole transnational human smuggling operation. >> reporter: jorge duany studies cuban migration patterns at florida international university. well organized? >> very well organized and it's supposed to be the second most profitable illegal network after the illegal trade business. >> reporter: most head to miami. at this refugee resettlement office, we met andres hernandez. his trip here from cuba took stress, lot of days without eating," but worth it to him and other cubans, immigrants desperate to start fresh in soon join the back of the line e mark strassmann, cbs news, miami. >> pelley: greyhound racing may be headed for the finish line. p compared f