The Columbia Hispanic Pre-Law Review (HPLR) is an undergraduate publication committed to publishing original legal scholarship. Through op-eds, features, policy briefs, and interviews, HPLR releases semesterly pieces. Its mission is to contribute thoughtfully to pressing questions and dialogue in law.
Columbia Hispanic Pre-Law Review (HPLR) Announces Winner of 2025 High School Essay Competition
NEW YORK, Sep. 26, 2025 – The Columbia Hispanic Pre-Law Review (HPLR) is an undergraduate publication dedicated to publishing legal scholarship. Today, HPLR announced the winner of its 2025 High School Essay Competition: Sanvi Das of Clarksburg High School. Sanvi will receive a monetary prize and a feature on HPLR’s online platform.
Immigrants and the American Promise: Labor Rights and Reform
In an op-ed, Sanvi Das examines immigration law by using both contemporary examples and historical precedents. Her argument is clear: lawmakers need to establish an immigration system as dependable as the undocumented immigrant workers who keep it running. She concludes that undocumented immigrants deserve the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – and “human dignity,” she adds. Read more about it in the link below.
The Columbia Core Curriculum Depends on Us, But It Wasn’t Made for Us
In an op-ed, Savannah Botello, CC ’27, examines the politics of Columbia’s Core Curriculum. Reflecting on her experience in Contemporary Civilization, she argues that despite updates to the syllabus, the course continues to rely on students of color to interpret the readings for their white peers. She leaves readers with a pressing question: Who is Contemporary Civilization really meant to educate?
Torn Between Two Flags
In an op-ed, Jazzlee Cerritos (CC ‘28) writes about the meaning of identity and culture for first-generation students. For her, the first-generation experience means enduring an identity tension between two cultures: one’s origin (“the motherland”) and one’s country of birth. She argues that a person shouldn’t choose between one country or another. Instead, she believes in the coexistence of both cultures. The op-ed delves into epistemological questions of identity and culture and offers a fresh perspective on the first-generation experience. Jazzlee leaves the reader with an important question: what does it mean to be an American? Or in her case, Salvadoran-American?
The Human Rights Framework’s Illegitimate Child: How the Migrant Protection Protocols Violated Asylum Seekers' Rights
This policy analysis examines how the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), enacted by the Trump-Pence Administration in 2019, violated international human rights obligations despite claims of legal compliance. The MPP violated the principle of non-refoulement, denied effective access to legal representation, and facilitated family separation. Its implementation exposes critical gaps in the human rights framework that allow states to maintain the appearance of compliance while evading their obligations.
Together — Building Pathways for the Next Generation
The Hispanic Pre-Law Society (HPLS) was established with the mission of disseminating pre-law resources and equipping the next generation of leaders, attorneys, Supreme Court clerks, policy-makers, and professionals in the legal field…
A Letter from the Co-Editor-in-Chief, José Caballero
A Letter from the Co-Editor-in-Chief, José Caballero…
A Letter from the Co-Editor-in-Chief, Mariley Melo
A letter from the Co-Editor-in-Chief, Mariley Melo