The other “gang of eight,” the one working quietly on the south end of Capitol Hill, released a joint statement Wednesday morning applauding their Senate counterparts for unveiling a bipartisan immigration overhaul bill, saying they expect to follow suit in short order.

As I reported Tuesday evening, GOP sources familiar with the negotiations going on in the bipartisan House immigration working group believe those lawmakers could be ready to introduce their bill in May. Issues remain to be worked out, including some politically thorny ones, but the House group’s joint statement presents the clearest sign yet that they are close to getting to yes.

The following joint statement was issued by Reps. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.; John Carter, R-Texas; Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.; Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill.; Sam Johnson, R-Texas; Raúl R. Labrador, R-Idaho; Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; and John Yarmuth, D-Ky.

“Americans want to see the nation’s broken immigration system fixed, and they know it will take bipartisanship to solve this problem in a sensible and rational way. This week, a bipartisan group of Senators stepped forward to introduce their proposal, and we applaud their effort. We are also working on a good faith, bipartisan effort in the House. We believe we will soon agree on a reasonable, common-sense plan to finally secure our borders and strengthen our economy with a tough but fair process that respects the rule of law so immigrants can contribute to our country. While we have made substantial progress, we continue to work diligently towards a bill that keeps America strong, competitive and true to our values.”