The Columbia Hispanic Pre-Law Review (HPLR) publishes original scholarship on law, Hispanic affairs, and public policy. Our mission is to promote rigorous dialogue at the intersection of legal research and contemporary issues.

All views and opinions expressed are the author’s alone and do not represent the Hispanic Pre-Law Review, the Hispanic Pre-Law Society, or their affiliates.

Legal Opinion

"The U.S. Patent Pro Bono Program and the Limits of Inclusive Innovation"

"The U.S. Patent Pro Bono Program and the Limits of Inclusive Innovation"

"Predictive Policing at the Border: How Algorithmic Immigration Enforcement Targets Latino Communities"

"Predictive Policing at the Border: How Algorithmic Immigration Enforcement Targets Latino Communities"

"Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo: The Erosion of Undocumented Immigrants’ Constitutional Rights"

"Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo: The Erosion of Undocumented Immigrants’ Constitutional Rights"

"Changes to Mexico’s Amparo: What Can a Citizen Do When the Government Doesn’t Listen Anymore?"

"Changes to Mexico’s Amparo: What Can a Citizen Do When the Government Doesn’t Listen Anymore?"

The Un-American Experiment: President Trump’s Ban on Birthright Citizenship

The Un-American Experiment: President Trump’s Ban on Birthright Citizenship

Torn Between Two Flags
Jazzlee Cerritos Jazzlee Cerritos

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?

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The Human Rights Framework’s Illegitimate Child: How the Migrant Protection Protocols Violated Asylum Seekers' Rights
Sofia Rojas Sofia Rojas

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.

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