Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that the entire southern border wall will be painted black at President Donald Trump’s request.
The clever move will make the structure too hot to climb by hand in desert temperatures.
Noem made the announcement during a press conference in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, where she stood in front of a section of the steel border barrier and picked up a roller brush to help with the painting work herself.
“It’s 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. And today we are also going to be painting it black,” Noem said while describing the structure behind her.
The DHS secretary explained that the black paint serves a dual purpose in border security efforts.
“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, to not break our federal laws, but that they will abide and come to our country the right way so that they can stay and have the opportunity to become United States citizens and pursue the American dream.”
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks attended the event with Noem and confirmed that the black paint will also help prevent the steel structure from rusting, extending the lifespan of the wall.
Noem credited Congress for providing the resources needed for the extensive border security project. She referenced what she called the “one big, beautiful bill” passed in July that allocated “an incredible amount of resources” for continued wall construction.
A total of $46.5 billion was earmarked for border wall construction in the One Big Beautiful spending bill. The White House estimated this funding will pay for an additional 700 miles of wall along the 2,000-mile stretch of land and water that divides the United States and Mexico.
“With the OBBB 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,” a DHS spokesperson said when asked about the specific cost of the paint project.
Noem reported that construction on the wall is advancing at a pace of close to half a mile per day. The wall currently stretches approximately 700 miles along the US-Mexico border.
“The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” Noem said.
🚨 LMAO! Democrats are currently losing their minds over President Trump and Kristi Noem painting the southern border wall BLACK to let it get super hot from the sun.
It's being done so the criminals would burn their hands to the touch if they even tried.
Genius move. 🔥🤣 pic.twitter.com/U0zGOuW6lm
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 19, 2025
Besides the new black paint and additional wall construction, Noem said the administration is investing in advanced technology including cameras, sensors and what she called “waterborne infrastructure” for sections along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
“We’re doing due diligence in securing every single inch of our border,” Noem said, noting that the administration is focused on both the southern and northern borders.
“Remember that a nation without borders is no nation at all,” she said. “We’re so thankful that we have a president that understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country’s future.”
Noem was joined by several Border Patrol agents and officials, including Interim Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector Walter Slosar. He shared dramatic statistics showing the effectiveness of current border security measures.
Slosar said agents in the El Paso sector are now apprehending an average of just 41 people per day, compared to 2,300 people per day under the Biden administration in 2023. The seven-day average for “gotaways” in the sector is currently nine people.
“We’re apprehending those individuals. Our gotaways are the lowest they’ve ever been. And we’re putting we’re working with the Department of Justice … we’re putting criminal charges on those individuals applying consequences and our partners in ICE ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] are removing those individuals from the United States,” Slosar said.
The Border Patrol official said the majority of those currently being apprehended are single adults from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
Slosar described a complete change in approach from the previous administration. While agents were left simply “observing” illegal immigrants passing through under Biden, he said illegal border crossers are now “running from us.”
“Words and messages matter. It is not okay to enter the country illegally, and somebody is finally saying that, that’s our leadership here in the U.S government,” Slosar said.
The Border Patrol chief said morale among agents in the El Paso sector “is better than it’s ever been because we are doing our national security job, and we are keeping this area safe.”
During his first term, Trump reportedly favored border wall prototypes that had bollards painted “flat black” to absorb heat and make them too hot to touch. The president also reportedly told officials and engineers that the border wall should have sharp spikes at the top to appear more intimidating.
Building the wall was a central focus of Trump’s hardline immigration policy during his first term. In his second term, the mass deportation agenda with arrests in the interior of the country has been the main policy focus, but the wall completion project continues alongside those efforts.
The announcement comes as illegal border crossings have dropped to the lowest levels on record under the Trump administration.