June 30^th reports by The Arizona Daily Star and The Washington Times give details of Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry's speech before thousands of cheering attendees at a convention of the National Council of La Raza.

If elected, Sen. Kerry promised that within his first 100 days of taking office, he would propose a four-part plan to change the immigration system. His plan would provide a route to citizenship for most illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years, have paid taxes, and have passed a security screening.

In this same speech, Kerry criticized President Bush for failing to promote the AgJobs bill - a bill that intends to legalize farm laborers so that agriculture employers can easily hire them. In addition to signing the AgJobs bill. Sen. Kerry would support the DREAM Act - which gives children of undocumented immigrant parents the right to qualify as state residents for in-state college tuition.

Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn also has a pending immigration plan in Congress that would create a temporary-worker program but requires participants to return home at the end of their employment time. Cornyn said he is glad Kerry joined the debate, but says Kerry's plan encourages illegal immigration and doesn't deal with the fundamental economic issues.