House Republicans took a tentative step toward offering citizenship to some unauthorized immigrants Tuesday, but hit an immediate wall of resistance from the White House on down as Democrats said it wasn't enough. The dismissive reaction to the GOP proposal to offer eventual citizenship to some immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children underscored the difficulties of finding any compromise in the Republican-led House on the politically explosive issue of immigration.

Congress is preparing to break for a monthlong summer recess at the end of next week without action in the full House on any immigration legislation, even after the Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill last month to secure the borders and create a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally.

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Majority Leader Eric Cantor are working on a bill toward allowing young people brought illegally as children to the United States to stay legally. It is something of a turnaround for Republicans, many of whom in the past have opposed legalizing immigrants brought here as kids. And some Democrats and immigration advocates said it was a welcome development. Yet even before the hearing began Democrats dismissed Goodlatte and Cantor's not-yet-released legislation, saying that any solution that doesn't offer citizenship to all 11 million immigrants here illegally falls short.

associated press