President Trump has pushed for a black border wall since his first term in the White House.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Tuesday that the wall along the southern border will be painted black to make it too hot for people to climb.
“Its tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible. It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to dig under,” Noem said during a press conference in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
“And today we are also going to be painting it black.”
Noem added that the suggestion came “specifically at the request” of President Donald Trump, “who understands that in the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, and it will make it even harder for people to climb.”
The black paint will help prevent the steel from rusting, said US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks.
The paint job comes as the Trump administration claimed there were more than 6,000 people apprehended at the southern border in June, 15% lower than a previous record in March.
During Trump’s first term, the southern border was the centerpiece of his immigration policy, but following his return to the White House, his focus has shifted to deportations and stricter enforcement in the US.
However, during his first term, President Trump considered painting more than 80 miles of the US-Mexico border wall black.
“My administration has done more than any administration in history to secure our southern border. Our border has never been more secure,” he said back in June 2020.
US Customs and Border Protection said in 2020 that it was testing black paint on some sections of the wall to test the operational benefits. Some officials argued that the paint would have little effectiveness, with others saying it was largely being done to appease the then-president.
Secretary Noem didn’t share the cost of painting the wall, but the Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” secured the administration approximately $46.5 billion in funding to modernize the border barrier system, which includes completing the construction of 700 miles of primary wall. Noem said the government is building a half-mile barrier each day.
“The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
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