August 20, 2025
The paint job begun Aug. 19 with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announcing the news.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced a new plan to dissuade people from crossing U.S. borders.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem shared that the southern border would be painted black to spot and stop migrants more easily. The color would make the wall too hot to climb up due to the sunlight, thus limiting who could make it over.
Noem appeared in front of a section of the wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to speak on the paint job. According to the New York Post, the Trump administration intends for it to cover over 700 miles of the border.
“It’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible,” stated Noem Aug. 19. “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.”
She continued, “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.”
The President approved the entire wall to receive this paint job, which Noem also stated would prevent rusting. However, the black paint mainly serves to deter illegal crossings.
“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,” she added.
However, it remains unclear exactly how much this paint job will cost Americans. The money will come from funds allocated to border security within Trump’s recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill included a whopping $46.5 billion for border construction, also going toward a 700-mile expansion of the wall.
When asked about the total price for the entire venture, a spokesperson remained vague. They deemed it “irresponsible” to give U.S. taxpayers a final number at this time.
“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,” expressed a DHS spokesperson.
As the painting progresses, DHS will also install cameras and sensors to further prevent border crossings. A reconstruction and expansion of the southern border wall has been a campaign promise of Trump since his first term. Now, his plans will come into fruition amid escalating tension between the U.S. and its neighbors.
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