Oh one last thing:
My new friend says that Biden was forced to reopen the border because of the courts?
The "courts" argument is essentially the reverse of what actually happened.
While your friend is right that the courts played a huge role, they didn't force Biden to reopen the border; they actually repeatedly sued and ordered him to keep it closed (using Trump-era rules) when he tried to move toward a more "open" or "humane" system.
Here is the actual timeline of the "Biden vs. The Courts" battle:
1. Biden tried to pause deportations (and was blocked)
On his first day, Biden ordered a 100-day pause on most deportations.
• The Court Action: Texas immediately sued. Federal Judge Drew Tipton (a Trump appointee) blocked the pause just days later, ruling that federal law requires the government to deport people with final orders of removal.
• The Result: Biden was forced by the court to continue deportations he had promised to stop.
2. Biden tried to end "Remain in Mexico" (and was blocked)
Biden officially ended the policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico (MPP) in early 2021.
• The Court Action: Texas and Missouri sued. In August 2021, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered Biden to reinstate the program, arguing that ending it violated administrative laws.
• The Result: For nearly a year, the Biden administration was court-ordered to send people back to Mexico against their will, even as they fought the case all the way to the Supreme Court (which they eventually won in 2022).
3. Biden tried to end Title 42 (and was blocked)
Title 42 was the COVID-era health rule Trump used to quickly expel almost everyone. Biden tried to end it in May 2022.
• The Court Action: A group of 24 states sued, and a federal judge in Louisiana issued an injunction forcing Biden to keep Title 42 in place.
• The Result: Biden had to keep using Trump’s "closed border" tool for an extra year until the COVID-19 national emergency officially expired in 2023.
Why your friend might be confused
There is one specific area where the "courts" argument works in the way your friend is describing: Asylum Processing.
• Under U.S. law, anyone who sets foot on U.S. soil and says the "magic words" (that they fear for their life) has a legal right to an asylum hearing.
• Courts have consistently ruled that the government cannot simply ignore these claims. Because the courts take years to hear these cases, and because there wasn't enough detention space, thousands of people were released into the U.S. to wait for their dates.
• In this sense, the legal system (not a specific judge) created the "catch and release" dynamic that many people interpret as an "open border."
The Verdict
Your friend has it backward.
• The Presidency (Biden) wanted to "reopen" or relax the border rules for humanitarian reasons.
• The Courts (mostly in Texas) were the ones "securing" the border by forcing Biden to keep Trump-era restrictions in place long after he wanted them gone.