Republicans intensified their outreach to Latino groups last week, offering renewed pledges that the House will deal with immigration reform this year. The effort has revived hope among reform advocates that a bipartisan deal can be reached to address the fate of the nation's 11 million undocumented workers and students.

The chances of a comprehensive reform deal passing Congress remain doubtful, advocates warned, and they worry that the legislative process will spill into 2014, presenting new complications in an election year.

But they were encouraged by signals from key GOP leaders that the House is willing to move forward on legislation that could produce a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said Thursday his panel is working on four new pieces of legislation dealing with border-control laws. He did not disclose details but emphasized the need to resolve the status of people living in the country illegally.