The border wall separating the United States and Mexico is being 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 Donald Trump as the president celebrated ‘ZERO releases’ of illegal migrants into the country.
‘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.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed the project was a specific request from Donald Trump
The Trump administration claims there were zero illegal border crossings recorded in May, June and July, a figure which Trump celebrated on Truth Social this week
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.’
The Trump administration claims there were zero illegal border crossings recorded in May, June and July.
Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the success, writing: ‘CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS! The July Border Statistics are in and, once again, they are the LOWEST RECORDED NUMBERS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY.
The border wall separating the United States and Mexico is being painted black to make it too hot for migrants to climb
The paint job will restore the border wall to Trump’s initial design from his first presidency
‘The U.S. Border Patrol reported ZERO releases of Illegal Aliens into the Country. Texas’ Border is Safe and Secure, and the entire World knows it.’
Trump went on to say that ‘all we need to do is keep it this way’, urging Texas voters to turn out to help Republicans win the 2026 midterm elections.
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.
Despite Trump’s successes at the wall, its construction has also sparked fury among some Texas landowners, who are railing against him as he seeks to force them to sell parts of their property to build his long promised border wall.
Residents in Starr County, in southern Texas, are being hauled to court to face off with high-powered administration lawyers who have filed eminent domain lawsuits.
Noem 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
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
Eminent domain cases are used to force landowners to sell private property for public use, even if the owner does not want to sell.
Alejo Clarke, who has lived in the county for 58 years, told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month he is fighting back against the order.
The Trump administration is seeking one acre of his land in order to erect the 18 foot wall.
Trump was elected on a campaign promise to make America safer by securing the borders and conducting mass deportations. A spokesperson for the administration noted a border wall is ‘the most safe and efficient way possible.’
But Clarke claims doing so would cut him off from expansive plots of land where he has fished and hunted his entire life.
‘I’m not gonna beat Trump – you know it and I know it,’ he said. ‘But if someone is going to kick your butt, are you just going to lie down?’
