Thousands of immigrants and activists flocked to the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon to urge Congress to overhaul the immigration system for more 11 million people living in the United States illegally. The so-called Gang of Eight senators working on immigration were expected to introduce a piece of legislation by the end of the week after months of negotiating. But they announced on Wednesday that reform would have to be pushed back a few days to make room for the gun control debate. Despite lawmakers' focus on guns, the rally, called Citizenship for 11 Million, drew thousands of activists to the district to include their voices in lawmakers' last-minute discussions as an immigration bill is being finalized. Giselle Stern Hernandez, an immigrant from Mexico, held a sign that read, "I am a Deported Man's Wife sign." "When [my husband's] deportation happened in 2001, people were protesting, but not in the national dialogue the way it is now, so it is deeply emotional for me," Hernandez told ABC News at the rally. I'm not putting any hopes on seeing the reform that I would like, but at least these people are engaged in the dialogue. She added, "We can't just stay in our corners." Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies and originally from Liberia, held a sign that echoed a refrain heard across the grounds in both English and Spanish: "The time is now." "It is time, actually it is past time, for immigration reform for the over 11 million people in this country coming out of the shadows," Woods told ABC News. We, all of us, have found family members, community members, church members facing deportation in inhumane conditions and we're here to say, Enough is enough. Washington was not the only city rallying for the cause. Jessica Ramos, spokeswoman for the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance, said there were about 800 attendees at their rallies on Tuesday. "About 400 people showed up to the rally in New Haven, 250 in Danbury and 150 in Bridgeport," she said. When asked about the demographic of attendees, Ramos said, "We thought we would see mostly Latinos, but that wasn't necessarily the case." Many college students made an appearance, Titone says, and many of them were in Washington to march on the West Lawn of the Capitol. He added that it is important to put on the rallies because it "puts a real face on the DREAMers, the young adults who were brought here as children." And many of the DREAMers were to attend a two-part gathering in Santa Cruz County, Calif., Wednesday. Two vigils were to be held in the Golden State Wednesday afternoon, according to Glen Schaller, political coordinator for the Monetary Bay Central Labor Council. When asked whether the gatherings intentionally coincide with the march on Washington, Schaller said, "Absolutely."