Speaking during a Tuesday, August 19, press conference nearby a New Mexico portion of the US-Mexico border wall, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that DHS will be having the whole border wall painted black “specifically at the request” of President Trump, with the aim of the black paint absorbing heat in the summer sun and making it too hot to climb.
Specifically, the DHS Secretary explained to the gathered crowd of reporters and personnel that President Trump had ordered her to paint “the entire southern border wall black” to “make it even harder for people to climb” in hot temperatures, as the paint will theoretically absorb the heat and make the metal wall much too hot to touch.
During that Tuesday press conference from Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Secretary Noem began by commenting on the importance of defended borders, saying that they are what make a nation a real nation. She said, “Remember that a nation without borders is no nation at all and we’re so thankful that we have a president that understands that.”
Continuing, she commented on the various features of the wall that make it difficult to get through, noting its height, depth, and the like, and putting the paint decision in that context. Beginning, she said, “Now if you look at the structure that’s behind me, it’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb. Almost impossible.”
Adding to that, she noted that it is difficult for anyone to dig under the wall due to its concrete base, saying, “It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible to dig under.” She then added that the latest security measure made is that the wall will be painted black, saying, “and today we are also going to be painting it black.”
Building on that, Secretary Noem explained that President Trump had pushed the idea, saying, “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.”
Concluding, she noted that the whole wall will be painted and that DHS will continue cracking down on illegal immigration, saying, “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 into our country the right way so that they can stay and have the opportunity to become United States citizens and pursue the American dream.”
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Watch her here:
Also commenting on the matter during the Tuesday press event in New Mexico was U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the border wall event with Secretary Noem. Chief Banks explained to the press that, in addition to making the wall too hot to climb over in the summer months, the paint will help lengthen the lifespan of the wall because the paint would also help deter rust.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video