Biden administration moves to tighten border restrictions in May

enforcing stricter migration policies for asylum-seekers in early 2023, announcing on Jan. 5 a list of “new consequences for individuals who attempt to enter unlawfully.” These initiatives included an increased usage of expedited removal of individuals without legal basis to remain in the United States, as well as the possibility of a five-year ban on reentry for those individuals.

The same list also describes the expansion of the Biden Administration’s “parole process,” which was previously extended from Venezuelans to individuals of Nicaraguan, Haitian and Cuban nationality. The U.S. will allow 30,000 individuals per month to enter the country and receive work authorization if they have an eligible sponsor and pass vetting and background checks. Under this policy, individuals who irregularly cross the Panama, Mexico or U.S. borders will be subject to expulsion to Mexico, which has agreed to accept 30,000 individuals a month who “fail to use these new pathways.”

The administration claims that these consequences will disincentivize individuals from these four countries “from taking the dangerous journey to the southwest border of the United States and attempting to cross without authorization.” fessor of Latina/o studies at Mount Holyoke, authored an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle in January detailing the Biden administration’s “carrot and stick” approach to immigration policy. In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, he described this phrase as indicating “a traditional political compromise on immigration policies between pro-immigrant forces and anti-immigrant forces.”

“In today’s discussion of comprehensive immigration reform, it’s usually a form of amnesty, or regularization of status for undocumented immigrants, in exchange for further militarizing the border,” Hernández said. “And so the carrot is the benefit and the stick is the punishment in this case. With Biden’s new policy, it’s a provision of legal avenues to claim asylum in exchange for a harsh exclusion policy.”

BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 NEWS EDITOR

In a joint announcement on Feb. 21, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security described a new policy proposal from the Biden administration that would deny asylum to those entering the country illegally, as well as those who do not attempt or are unable to seek asylum in the countries they pass through as they migrate to the United States.

In anticipation of the Title 42 public health order expiring on May 11, administration officials expect that the order will go into effect by May, according to The Texas Tri- bune. Administration officials describe the new asylum restrictions as temporary, with the expectation that they will end after two years.

Title 42 consists of a series of immigration restrictions invoked within the past few years with the stated purpose of controlling the spread of COVID-19, according to PBS NewsHour. The Texas Tribune reports that Title 42 has technically been in place since the World War II era, initially enacted as a part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944. However, it saw extensive usage by the Trump administration beginning in March 2020 as a method of enforcing stricter immigration policy.

After initially defending the act, the Biden administration attempted to terminate Title 42 in the spring of 2022 and failed, as reported by CBS News. Title 42 was then declared illegal by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on the basis of an insufficient public health justification last November. From there, Republican-led states were able to block the policy’s termination on procedural grounds, resulting in the expiration date of this May. Since 2020, Title 42 has been used to expel over 2.6 million migrants, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

The Washington Post also reports that despite initially pledging to protect the asylum process, the Biden-Harris administration began

Critics of the Feb. 21 policy announcement note that it fails to account for the reality of the situations faced by many asylum seekers. In a PBS NewsHour report, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said that the new immigration policy favors those who can afford to find a financial sponsor and purchase a plane ticket to the U.S., while also excluding those who cannot wait in their home countries for humanitarian parole slots due to the risks they face.

While Vignarajah expressed approval of the pathways offered to migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, she questioned what options now exist for migrants hailing from outside of those countries.

David Hernández, associate pro-

Hernández mentioned that migrants seeking asylum must be able to afford plane tickets to the United States, oftentimes for entire family units, meaning that “only the people with the most means will be able to come.” Hernández also discussed how the current system’s incentivizing of legal pathways into the United States fails to account for the obstacles often faced by migrants. For example, the requirement to seek asylum in another country before being eligible for asylum in the United States is often impractical for Latin Americans fleeing violence.

“When you flee for your safety, you need to get out of there, fast. So then you have to stop and wait in the next country you pass through, or maybe the final country, which is Mexico, usually,” he said. “And it may even be dangerous to seek asylum at home. Let’s say you’re wanted by gang members or something like that. It’s not like you can just walk up to the embassy and they’re not going to wait for you or be at the next country over. Lots of things are possible … The plan in the ‘safer country’ agreement is neither safe nor an agreement because few countries in Latin America have strong asylum systems.”

Jonathan Michael Square discusses ‘democratizing higher education’

BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN ’25 MANAGING EDITOR OF LAYOUT &

EDITOR

Content warning: This article mentions slavery.

Jonathan Michael Square, an assistant professor of Black visual culture at Parsons School of Design, believes in “democratizing higher education.” His avenue of doing so was to turn one of his classes, Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom, into an ever-evolving social media-based project. He uses social media platforms — including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube — to share the work he has done around slavery and fashion, which he believes allows for more engagement than traditional styles of teaching. Square visited Professor Sandra Russell’s class Art, Public Space and Social Justice Activism via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

As described on its website, “Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom predominately explores the intersections between slavery and fashion. This digital humanities project is also an entry point for exploring larger questions of race, identity and equity.” During the talk, Square defined digital humanities as “the use of the internet or digital platforms as an educational tool,” although he stated that the kind of work he does is “a little more dynamic” than traditional digital humanities practices.

“Sometimes you have to use terms to make yourself legible to academics, so sometimes we find ourselves using the term digital humanities even though it’s more social media,” Square said.

Russell has wanted to have Square talk to one of her classes for some time, but the timing never worked out. She has been inspired by Square’s work for years and was grateful that he was able to visit.

“One of my goals in designing this course was to foreground artists, academics and activists’ utilization of public spaces — be they brick and mortar, digital or otherwise — to engage audiences’ political, social and historical imaginations,” Russell said. “Jonathan’s work across digital platforms, as well as his curatorial work, does exactly this, and I think this is a real way to build solidarity and resistance.”

In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Square explained that he is usually asked to present research from his upcoming book and doesn’t often get to give a talk about his methodologies. “I love presenting my work to new audiences because it forces me to clarify my thinking on my own practice,” Square said. “It was a real treat to be able to stand back and reflect on how I use social media as an educational tool.”

Square was also a 2021-2022 Curatorial fellow at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and formerly instructed at Harvard University, where he taught versions of the Fashioning the Self course.

“Fashioning the Self” also exists in the format of two zines, one of which can be viewed online. The other is available for purchase in print.

“I also have a bone to pick with academia. I think academic writing is a bit dry and sometimes inaccessible and many academics aren’t really interested in engaging with larger audiences,” Square said. “I wanted to create content that to me felt academically rigorous but was also interesting and readable and even fun.”

Madeline Greenberg ’26, a student in Russell’s class, enjoyed the content of Square’s talk and described his work as “incredible.”

“Square also has his course syllabi available on his website, so anyone is able to almost take the class themself,” Greenberg said. “This aspect of his work is incredibly interesting to me as it feels like we learn right alongside him and that his work is pushing against traditional and elitist ideas of higher education.” uses the lens of fashion and material culture to trace the aesthetic, social and political reverberations of the Haitian Revolution as a world-historical moment.” based in Florida, asked Square about the trend of race-related scholarship being politically repressed. “The study of Black history is underfunded and under assault, which certainly makes my work feel more necessary,” Square said in his interview. Greenberg had an interest in fashion and social justice prior to the talk but hadn’t been sure how they could work together.

Meï first conceptualized “Rendering Revolution” and then shared her idea with Square when she invited him to give a talk at UMass. They then began to work together to create the project which launched in summer 2020.

In his interview with Mount Holyoke News, Square described “Rendering Revolution” and “Fashioning the Self” as “sister projects,” with three important differences. “‘Rendering Revolution’ is focused on Haiti and, to a certain degree, the wider Francophone world. Secondly, ‘Rendering Revolution’ is supported by a transnational team of scholars that includes Siobhan, me, and a number of other Haitian and Haitianist academics and translators.

Thirdly, ‘Rendering Revolution’ is a bilingual project. We publish all of our content in English and Haitian Kreyòl,” Square said.

During the talk, Square discussed the curatorial work he does, focusing specifically on an exhibit called “Slavery in the Hands of Harvard” which was housed in the Center for Government and International Studies at Harvard. Square talked about how using a non-traditional space forced people to engage with the work between activities or on their way to class.

Russell’s only wish was for more time, given that not all the participant’s questions got answered. She was also grateful for the hybrid model which allows for people to visit a classroom space who may not otherwise be able to.

Once I started learning about Jonathan Michael Square I realized that there is a world of possibility for the combination of fashion and social justice.

– Madeline Greenberg

“The show used contemporary art to explore Harvard’s connection to slavery. … The exhibition was in the hallway of a public building on Harvard’s campus … so it had a wider reach than a show in a traditional gallery space,” Square said. Toward the end of the talk, students and participants joining on Zoom were invited to ask questions. One person on the Zoom call, who identified themself as a professor

“I had actually been discussing with my parents how on earth I plan to combine those interests. It seemed that I was trying to bridge an impossible gap but once I started learning about Jonathan Michael Square I realized that there is a world of possibility for the combination of fashion and social justice,” Greenberg said. “I am thrilled that the gender studies department hosted his visit and I look forward to following his work in the future through Instagram and Facebook.”

“I see Jonathan’s work as such a generous and hopeful way of reimagining and re-rendering ideas and histories. Part of the challenge of doing transformative intellectual work involves telling better, more accurate — and thus more liberatory — stories. This means finding ways to decenter hegemonic narratives and center the experiences of those who have been historically marginalized, silenced and erased.

Jonathan’s work does exactly this,” Russell said. “By bringing it to wider audiences, I see him creating and co-creating powerful spaces for community, liberation and worldmaking.”

Glascock contestant Thomas Bosworth discusses nature and poetry

BY MELANIE DURONIO ’26 FEATURES EDITOR

Thomas Bosworth, a senior at Dartmouth College, always knew that he wanted to be a writer. He never expected to become a poet, but after taking a creative writing class he “was bitten by the [poetry] bug and couldn’t stop” discovering new passions and interests through his craft. Now, his work has made him

Siobhan Meï ’11, a lecturer at Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, also visited the class during Square’s talk. She and Square co-founded a digital humanities project called “Rendering Revolution: Sartorial Approaches to Haitian History,” which is, as described on its website, “a queer, bilingual, feminist experiment in digital interdisciplinary scholarship that tion.

Mount Holyoke has hosted the Glascock Poetry Competition, which is recognized as the oldest continuously-running undergraduate poetry competition in the United States, since 1923. The competition was made an intercollegiate event in 1924, when other colleges were first allowed to participate. As stated in the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, the event serves as “a chance for poets to gain recognition, and [is] an opportunity to have conversa- tions about poetry and writing.”

Vievee Francis and Matthew Olzmann, professors from the Department of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College, selected Bosworth as their representative.

Bosworth has attended classes with both of them, and is currently working with Francis on his honors thesis, a manuscript of poems titled “Knotweed.” It covers topics including depression, medication, desire and ecology.

“The ecological side of things was sort of surprising. I did not consider myself a nature poet when I started at Dartmouth,” Bosworth said. “But being in New England, and specifically … in [the] state parks and mountains in New Hampshire has been a really life-changing and gorgeous experience.” corporates into his poetry.

“As someone who has spent a lot of time being very lonely, being in nature has been something that has really eased that for me,” Bosworth said. “There’s a certain joy [in] seeing a mushroom that you’ve seen before and learning to not [just] identify but recognize [it]. … I think developing relationships with the non-human has also helped me to have a better relationship with myself.”

There’s this perception out there that studying English is a useless or non-productive thing to do with your time. And I think that’s actually a pretty naive idea. Language is something that we use all the time to speak to each other. But also … it’s how you speak to yourself, how you perceive the world, and I think paying attention to language is something that everyone can really concretely benefit from.

– Thomas Bosworth

Originally from the Texas suburbs, Bosworth’s move to Hanover, New Hampshire, has served as his “reconnection with the natural world.” In his spare time, he likes to explore the trails and growth forests in the area, observing their ecosystems and how they have developed and diversified. His time in nature has taught him to appreciate the “non-human” aspects of life, such as snails, fungi and plants, which he in-

Although Bosworth has written many standalone poems, his manuscript is his first attempt at connecting a series of poems together thematically.

“You spend a lot of your time thinking about how your poems are speaking to each other. What images you [have] returned to over and over again, what your obsessions are, what you’re paying attention to,” Bosworth said. “That was really rewarding and challenging in a way I hadn’t dealt with in my poetry adventures up until that point.”

Aside from nature, Bosworth finds inspiration in the every day, with his most recent interest being internet chess.

He believes that “the willing[ness] to waste [his] time,” paraphrasing poet John Ashberry, is essential to the process of writing poetry.

Other favorite poets of Bosworth’s include Ocean Vuong, Danez Smith, Bernadette Mayer and Mary Ruefle. He also credits his professor, Matthew Olzman’s, work as being influential to his writing style.

“I actually came to Dartmouth specifically to study with Matthew Olzmann and Vievee Francis. Which is maybe not the best way to choose a college, but I’m certainly glad I did it that way,” Bosworth said.

As a major in English with a concentration in creative writing, Bosworth notes that there is a “false” divide between the two subjects. Although the approaches of both subjects are different, they share the same goal of paying close attention to language. In this sense, Bosworth believes literary scholarship and creative writing have similar values.

“There’s this perception out there that studying English is a useless or non-productive thing to do with your time. And I think that’s actually a pretty naive idea,” Bosworth said. “Language is something that we use all the time to speak to each other. But also … it’s how you speak to yourself, how you perceive the world, and I think paying attention to language is something that everyone can really concretely benefit from.”

As the contest approaches, Bosworth looks forward to meeting the other poets and hearing them read their work.

“Something that I didn’t realize how much I missed during COVID was being in person with other poets … and sharing my work in an embodied space, rather than on Zoom. So, I’m really excited to do that. And [to] be at Mount Holyoke and take it all in,” Bosworth said.