Immigration reform has become a priority in 2013 for Congress (Creative Commons/Anuska Sampedro)

The strategy is less ambitious from the plan drawn up by Democrats and supported by President Obama, which allows a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants residing within the U.S. That plan was backed Tuesday by Julian Castro, the Democratic mayor of San Antonio, who testified and took questions before House committee.

“Are there options that we should consider between the extremes of mass deportation and a pathway to citizenship for those not lawfully present in the United States?” Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) asked Castro.

“If we can find a solution that is…short of pathway to citizenship, but better than just kicking 12 million people out, why is that not a good solution?” asked Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho.

Castro said that a plan that didn’t include citizenship was simply untenable and that a more comprehensive plan was needed.

The Republicans’ outline falls short of allowing citizenship, though it presumably would allow high-skilled workers to stay within the country and some members hinted that leeway existed in the form of smaller bills that could allow legalization for other undocumented immigrants.

In recent weeks, many within the Republican Party have been pushing for a middle of the road approach to immigration reform, particularly after the latest presidential election, which saw an overwhelming majority of Latino voters cast ballots for President Obama.

The House Judiciary Committee will hold more hearings on the matter and the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene on Feb. 13 with Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano expected to testify.

Reach Executive Producer Salomon Fuentes here; Follow him on Twitter here.