Latino "law students" at the University of Connecticut have failed their first test. Before you read further let me just point out to these "law students" that the United States Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land and that its very first law is regarding violating the rights of a citizen to their right to free speech.

With that being said it is very appropriate that the Latino Law Student Association at the University of Connecticut School of Law (LLSA) notes, in order, their allegiance in their very own name. It is Latino first, then Law, then Student.

The university is having a panel discussion on immigration, hosted by the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, and invited Danbury Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Mark Boughton to share his views on why immigration laws should be enforced. Outraged at the whole of the panel not being pro-amnesty for illegal aliens, the Latino Law Student Association sent out a scathing letter (full text at the end of this article) slandering Boughton. The undercurrent of the threatening email is that Boughton would be protested vigorously by amnesty proponents should he show up.

News Times

"Mark Boughton's hate speech and discriminatory policies targeting immigrants should not be tolerated," said the e-mail, which was sent to the entire law school community. "His policies have served to intimidate Danbury's immigrant and Latino populations (whether documented or not)."

To see where these Latino Law Students are coming from, their mission statement on the university website states: "Latino Law Students Association (LLSA) provides students with an opportunity to promote the professional, educational, and cultural goals of minorities at this institution."

Apparently their "cultural goals" are not in line with the US Constitution or law and are more in line with those of people like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who routinely shuts down any opposing point of view.

I would suggest that if you are hiring an attorney - and they graduated from the University of Connecticut - you might want to take a look at their qualifications as a lawyer, because if these "law students" are an example of what they are teaching regarding law at UCONN - and producing as lawyers with this knowledge - then they are a poor choice to represent you.

Not only did the Latino Law Students object to Boughton, they also objected to the presence of principal legal adviser to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Peter Vincent, who was to be the keynote speaker. They refer to ICE in their statement as a "notoriously anti-immigrant agency".

Having a keynote which represents the views of ICE - a notoriously anti-immigrant agency, along with Mayor Boughton on one of the panels, sends a skewed message about how we should think critically about these issues...

ICE was doing its job of enforcing immigration laws, that is why they object. They are objecting to law enforcement of any kind. As far as thinking critically about the issue, to them you can't think critically if both sides are presented.

The full letter that you see below includes nothing about the law and everything about their opinion, of which they are not lawyers, but simply racial activists at this time.

They argue that since Hartford is a Sanctuary City and doesn't have the same policies as Danbury - regarding 287(g) and local law enforcement assisting the Department of Homeland Security regarding immigration - that Boughton shouldn't be allowed to speak in their town or their university.

If that argument isn't asinine enough for you, they argue that immigration laws shouldn't be enforced by law enforcement at all and that it is "highly controversial". So with that argument they believe that only the side of those in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens should be allowed to be voiced on their campus.

They continue, "The Department of Homeland Security and its agency, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 'ICE' (formerly INS), discriminates against Latino workers and harasses Latino and immigrant communities." They argue that deportations are made without illegal aliens "human rights" considered or a fair alternative offered.

Now I'm not even a lawyer (and some would argue that therefore I have no right to free speech on this topic), but these "law students" seem to have the idea that the United States operates on the law of "human rights". That is simply not the case, it operates on a system of "civil rights", which are bestowed upon a citizen by their nation - of which illegal aliens are not citizens. Apparently these law students have been studying the United Nation "laws" too much, or those of the Organization of American States (OAS), a self-anointed group that has set up human rights laws for the Americas (Read about the OAS and their charter here).

They go on to say in their opinion immigration enforcement is pretty much all racist and only against Latinos and insinuate that the only reason we have immigration laws is to discriminate.

None of their arguments are based off of solid law, but opinion. Their argument is literally to remove opposition from the panel discussion and turn it into a pro-amnesty rally. Anyone in favor of enforcing immigration laws would be rejected by this "association" of racial activists passing themselves off as law students.

Boughton has bowed out of the event and issued the following response to the Latino Law Student Association at UCONN.

"I would believe (these statements) are libelous, and I would expect better of law students," he said. "Their letter is so over the top, there is no room for intelligent discourse. I strictly believe in the opinion that the laws of the United States of America ought to be enforced and no one is going to take that away from me."

...

"I am deeply offended by their letter accusing me of participating in hate speech," Boughton said. "This group of students have mishmoshed the issue and made a bunch of inflammatory and defamatory comments."

This whole incident tells a story.

These racial groups are out to change our country into one single viewpoint, one of open borders and no America. If you object they will try and shut you down by slander, libel, or in the case of Tom Tancredo at UNC, even violence. And they continue to do so because no one with guts at their universities is standing up to them and they are getting away with it. I have to admit also that the citizens of this country are not standing up to them and are allowing these openly racist groups to flourish and grow.

These race based groups have no interest in the law nor the United States, except to use law as a tool to destroy this great country.

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Full Email from the Latino Law Student Association At University of Connecticut

The Latino Law Student Association wishes to express its concerns with respect to Mayor Mark Boughton, scheduled to speak at the upcoming CPILJ Symposium, "Undocumented Immigrants in the Workplace." Mayor Boughton, of Danbury, has been an outspoken anti-immigrant crusader in the State of Connecticut for the past decade. His policies have served to intimidate Danbury's immigrant and Latino populations (whether documented or not.) He has asked that Danbury's police officers participate in ICE's 287 (g) program, which allows them to enforce federal immigration laws. He has also passed ordinances that permit selective enforcement of the housing code in Latino neighborhoods and that prohibit residents from playing volleyball. Most recently, the Yale Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic filed a lawsuit against the city of Danbury for carrying out an illegal undercover sting operation in which 11 day laborers were arrested. This case involves a joint operation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents where undercover police officers posed as contractors looking for workers, arrested them, and then turned them over to Immigration officials. Mayor Boughton's hate speech and discriminatory policies targeting immigrants should not be tolerated and he certainly should not be given a platform to espouse his views at UConn CPILJ's symposium.

Danbury's city ordinance, as endorsed by Mayor Boughton stands in stark contrast, to that of the city of Hartford, another Connecticut city with a large Latino immigrant population. In August 2009, the city of Hartford passed an immigration ordinance which prohibits the city of Hartford from using local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration laws. First, the ordinance affirms that all city services are available to residents, regardless of immigration status. Next, it prohibits city employees from asking about and disclosing a person's immigration status when seeking city services. Finally, it prohibits police from asking crime victims and/or witnesses about their immigration status and prevents them from arresting and detaining anyone based solely on immigration status.

On a national level, the use of law enforcement to carry out civil immigration violations is highly controversial. The current immigration policy as it is carried out by The Department of Homeland Security and its agency, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "ICE" (formerly INS), discriminates against Latino workers and harasses Latino and immigrant communities.

The current policy seeks to arrest and deport as many immigrant workers as possible without thought to their human rights and without a fair alternative. ICE is conducting raids on homes and businesses in virtually every state in the nation and has only recently, under the Obama administration, started to go after employers that knowingly employ undocumented workers. The current policy is fundamentally flawed because it disproportionately relies on law enforcement tactics to solve administrative immigration violations. The policy has been particularly harsh on Latino communities and has criminalized Latino workers. The raids used by ICE agents have been condemned nationwide because they indiscriminately arrest and deport persons who may appear to be Latino whether or not there are warrants against them.

The Latino Law Student association is also concerned about CPILJ's keynote speaker, Peter S. Vincent, who is a representative of the ICE agency. Having a keynote which represents the views of ICE - a notoriously anti-immigrant agency, along with Mayor Boughton on one of the panels, sends a skewed message about how we should think critically about these issues to those in the law school community and the greater Hartford community. We hope that in the future CPILJ and its members consider the impact of bringing such speakers to their symposium.

This past Sunday, March 21, 2010 thousands of immigrants, advocates, and supporters marched on the Washington Mall to raise their voices for a just immigration reform. Immigration raids and deportations continue to affect immigrant communities around the nation. We stand in solidarity and believe that it is important to speak out against individuals, like Mayor Boughton, federal agencies like department of Homeland Security and Immigrations Customs, and Enforcement, who espouse policies that are harmful to Latino communities.

For the foregoing reasons the Latino Student Association expresses its objection to allowing Mayor Boughton and Peter Vincent speak at the upcoming CPILJ Symposium.

- The Latino Law Student Association

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