Here's the problem: The word "amigos" isn't in and of itself offensive, but what is offensive is the context in which the word is used. The tone of the memo is dismissive and disrespectful and condescending. As the grandson of Mexican farm laborers, I know when someone is looking down their nose at people who do that kind of work. Roberts' comments suggest that he didn't have a very high opinion of either U.S.-born Hispanics or Hispanic immigrants.

First, the fact that Roberts would even make such a sweeping assumption shows that, at least at the time, this Harvard man's understanding of the complexity of the Hispanic community didn't extend beyond the No. 3 combination plate at whatever Mexican restaurant the Washington elite were spending their lunch hours. That community includes Cuban-Americans who – thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which gives legal residency to Cuban refugees who reach U.S. soil – tend not to get worked up over immigration. Mexican-Americans do get worked up. But they're conflicted over amnesty for illegal immigrants, with polls showing the ethnic group divided on the subject.