House Democratic leaders are considering a vote on the DREAM Act on Wednesday, a senior House Democratic aide said Thursday.

Proponents of the controversial measure, which would give children who are illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they go to college or join the military, said they were aiming for action this week but ran up against a crowded schedule.

“We have to follow certain rules in the House and do things in a certain order to call bills to the floor, and we ran out of time for the DREAM Act this week,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who leads the Immigration Task Force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Immigration reform advocates have been pushing hard for action on the issue in the lame-duck Congress, namely because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed to make it a priority as he was campaigning for re-election. Gutierrez urged bill supporters to keep the pressure on for a little longer.

“All of the advocacy and calls and community support is making a huge difference, and we just have to keep it up through next week,” the Illinois Democrat said.