The border wall separating the United States and Mexico will soon be painted black to make it too hot for migrants to climb.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed the project was a specific request from President Donald Trump.
‘In the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black it gets even warmer,’ Noem said during a press conference in front of the wall on Tuesday.
She noted the structure is already hard to climb and near impossible to dig under, but said Trump’s latest measure will help to secure the American border even further.
‘There will be more added to it as far as technology, cameras, sensors,’ she added.
The black paint, in addition to making the wall so hot to the touch that migrants will not be able to grip onto it, will have a dual purpose of protecting the steel from rust.
Temperatures can reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months in Texas and Mexico, along the lines of the border wall.
The black paint, in addition to making the wall so hot to the touch that migrants will not be able to grip onto it, will have a dual purpose of protecting the steel from rust
The paint job will restore the border wall to Trump’s initial design from his first presidency
The paint job will restore the border wall to Trump’s initial design from his first presidency.
During his first term, parts of the wall along Calexico were being painted black, but the project was abandoned to speed up construction of the wall itself.
But now with more than three years left of his term, Trump has allocated an additional $46.5 billion to the completion of his border wall project.
‘We had an incredible amount of resources allocated to us in the big beautiful bill, because that’s going to allow us to continue construction,’ Noem said.
‘Construction right now is at the pace of a little bit less than a half a mile a day. And the border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built.’
Noem also hailed the fact that the United States now has ‘the most secure border that we’ve ever had in the history of this nation.’
Temperatures can reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months in Texas and Mexico, along the lines of the border wall
The Trump administration claims there were zero illegal border crossings recorded in May, June and July.
Troop deployments at the border have tripled to 7,600 and include every branch of the military and Trump has authorized funding for an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents, offering $10,000 signing and retention bonuses.
Since April, large swaths of border have been designated militarized zones, empowering US troops to apprehend immigrants and others accused of trespassing on Army, Air Force or Navy bases, and authorizing additional criminal charges that can mean prison time.
