Noem Announces Black by Order of Trump
DHS Secretary Announces Wall on Mexico Border Will Be Painted Black at Trump’s Request to Deter Immigrant Crossings
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border wall will be painted entirely black to make it harder for undocumented immigrants to cross.
The request came directly from President Donald Trump, she added Noem during a press conference with Border Patrol (CBP) at the border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
The Secretary of Homeland Security provided an update on the Border Patrol's work related to drug trafficking, smuggling, and undocumented immigrant crossings.
"This is specifically at the request of the president," Noem said. “When something is painted black, it gets even hotter, which makes it even more difficult for people to get across.”
“We’re also painting it black today, specifically at the request of the president, who understands that with the high temperatures here, when something is painted black, it gets even hotter and makes it even more difficult for people to climb over it. So we’re going to paint the entire southern border black to make sure that we encourage people not to come into our country illegally, not to break our federal laws, but to comply with them and come to our country the right way so that they can stay and have the opportunity to become American citizens and pursue the American dream,” Noem said.
“Remember, a nation without borders is no nation at all. And we’re so grateful to have a president who understands that and that a secure border is important to the future of our country. If you look at the structure behind me, it’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible,” the DHS secretary said.
Noem added that other new measures were also being pushed, such as “technology, cameras, and sensors.”
Noem oversaw the construction of miles of new border wall during her visit Tuesday in an area traditionally used by migrant smugglers who would pierce the fence mesh to send migrants into the New Mexico desert.
Noem also put her words into practice: She took a long-handled paintbrush and proceeded to paint a new section of 30-foot-tall steel bollards black.