Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced the U.S.-Mexico border wall will be painted black at President Donald Trump’s request to make the metal hotter and deter migrants.
Trump boasted about the historically low border crossings in July on Truth Social account late Tuesday afternoon.
“CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS! The July Border Statistics are in and, once again, they are the LOWEST RECORDED NUMBERS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY. The U.S. Border Patrol reported ZERO releases of Illegal Aliens into the Country,” he wrote.
There were fewer than 25,000 reported nationwide Customs and Border Protection encounters in July, down almost 90 percent from the monthly average under the Biden administration, the Homeland Security Department announced earlier this month.
Despite the record-low number of border crossings, the Trump administration has continued its immigration crackdown, which has included Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country, and an ad campaign with Noem warning the world, “If you come to our country and you break our laws, we will hunt you down.”
During a Tuesday press conference at the southern border in New Mexico, Noem announced the latest tactic the Trump administration is using to prevent migrants from entering the U.S.
She touted the height of the wall as well as the depth as ways to deter people seeking to go over or under the walls. And then Noem said Homeland Security was going to be trying black paint to make the metal hotter.
“That is specifically at the request of the president, 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,” Noem said.
“So we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally,” she continued.
Noem even picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting during her press conference.
Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.
The secretary also said more will be added to the wall, “as far as technology, cameras, sensors.”
A Homeland Security Department spokesperson would not confirm how much the paint job would cost, telling The Independent: “With the OBBB [One Big Beautiful Bill] we will be able to finish the border wall system started under President Trump’s first term.
“Due to an active procurement process to finish the wall it would be irresponsible to the American taxpayer to release the numbers as it may impact future bids.”
The Independent has also reached out to the White House for comment.
During Trump’s first term, building the wall was a central focus of his hardline immigration policy.
In his second term, his mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main focus, but Homeland Security will be getting about $46 billion to complete the wall as part of the “Big, Beautiful bill” Trump signed in July.
Noem said the administration has been building about a half mile of barrier every day.
“The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
The secretary said in addition to barriers like the one she visited Tuesday the department is also working on “water-borne infrastructure.”
Long sections of the roughly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
“A nation without borders is no nation at all. We’re so thankful we have a president that understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country’s future,” Noem said.
Early Tuesday, the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has sparred with Trump over his immigration crackdown, mocked the president on X, writing: “Forget the southern border, the strongest wall Trump’s ever built is his bronzer line.”
