Despite the government shutdown, thousands of immigrants and immigration advocates from all over the United States came to Washington D.C. this week to hold a rally for immigration action. Immigration reform advocates are frustrated that they gained so much headway over the summer with their cause, only to have it stalled amidst issues with the government budget and then a shutdown as Congress continues to work towards a budget. Thousands gathered at the National Mall on Tuesday, chanting "Si se puede" and holding signs declaring that "the time is now."

The rally was encouraged by Democratic lawmakers, who say that the advocates should not give up on their push for reform. The political climate is currently gridlocked, and an immigration bill which made it through the Senate has been stalled in the House with no word about how it will be dealt with. One individual at the rally told NBC News that she believes reform will happen because of all the momentum that immigration advocates have going for them. Individuals say that they want to see Congress get their act together and begin working through the many different issues for immigration.

The rally was not without drama. In fact, many individuals were taken to jail for committing acts of civil disobedience in the midst of the rally. Among them were eight House members. The arrested individuals were charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding. The rally's location at the National Mall was a subject of controversy, as the Mall is technically closed as a government monument. The World War II Honor Flight participants made national headlines last week when they fought for access to the National Mall for their service. Some are shocked that the rally participants were able to get onto the shuttered monument.

The National Park Service says that the granted the host organizations to access the mall because they considered the rally a First Amendment Activity and wanted to assure the immigration advocates of their rights. The house minority leader says that the park service had to work hard to make sure that the rally took place on the National Mall. Many of the immigration advocates that were present at the rally say that they have family members that have been deported and are unable to legally immigrate to the United States, others say that they are in the country illegally and live with the fear that they will be arrested every single day.

Some of the immigrants lamented that they need a green card and have not been able to get one, while others claim that they have been separated from their families for years and want to see reform realized so that they can be reunited. One man says that he overstayed his visa when he came to the U.S. for school at age 14 and now worries each day that he won't be permitted to stay in the country. Thousands of the immigration rally individuals say that they believe that Congress needs to pick up the immigration bill once again and work to come to a conclusion that will allow for freedom to many immigrants.

Current pending immigration measures involve creating a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal aliens, tightening border security, and monitoring individuals who comet the United States on visas more closely. In addition to this, the policies involve making changes to the policies regarding immigration families and determining who to deal with immigrants that are in detention centers or violent offenders that may be eligible for deportation.