In an attempt to appear more receptive to immigration reform, House Republicans are expressing support for young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. But the rhetoric about their parents remains as harsh as ever.

These children are known as DREAMers, after the DREAM Act, a failed bill sponsored bu Democrats that would have provided a path to citizenship for undocumented minors.

But conservatives balked at any kind of "amnesty," and the bill foundered and died. Republicans who expressed support for the legalization of children, including former President George W. Bush and former presidential contender Rick Perry, were hounded by opponents until they dropped the issue.

Now it seems those Texas governors were right, at least about this. After a dismal showing among Hispanics in 2012, Republicans are looking to rebuild their image among Latinos, and that means embracing some form of immigration reform.

While much of the base, particularly the most vocal portions, are opposed to a path to citizenship, there is less adamant resistance to a compromise that would allow children some means of effectively integrating into mainstream American society.

"We should look at children brought here by their parents as not being able to have illegal status because they did not consent to the act. They did not make that determination mentally. Therefore, they should be treated in a special way. This is a unique, special issue in the entire discussion of immigration legislation." said Rep. Ted Poe of Texas.

Under the Senate bill, now under consideration by the House, DREAMers would need to wait five years before applying for citizenship, though they would be able to stay in the United States, work legally and travel abroad before then. That's eight years less than other undocumented immigrants would need to wait for citizenship.

But Republicans' new positivity may have come too late. Democrats and immigration advocates want a path to citizenship for all of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. Legalizing only DREAMers would tear families apart, an outcome "pro-family" Republicans would be hard pressed to defend.

"How could we say, yes, we want a pathway to citizenship for us, and then say 'Deport our parents.'" said Cristina Jimenez, managing director of United We Dream.

For now, Republicans don't have an answer.