Roommates, it looks like President Donald Trump and his administration have some Americans asking, “Who’s paying for THAT?” While a few actions might fit the question, this week, the concerns are about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). On Tuesday (August 19), DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the border wall separating Mexico and the U.S. will be painted black. For context, that wall is nearly 2,000 miles long, per the Associated Press.
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What’s The Reason For The Border Wall Paint Job?
To make the announcement, DHS Secretary Noem visited a portion of the border wall in New Mexico. While there, she boasted that the wall’s height and depth typically deter people from crossing and entering. However, now DHS is adding another layer: black paint. The agency hopes the new paint will make the metal wall extra hot and continue to encourage non U.S. residents to stay away.
At the conference, Kristi Noem credited President Trump with the idea. Additionally, the DHS official also picked up a roller brush to help out with the painting.
“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. 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,” Kristi Noem said.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help slow rust.
What Else Is Happening With This Wall?
Building the wall was a central focus of Trump’s hardline immigration policy during his first term. During his second term, his mass deportation agenda, including arrests inside the country, has been the primary focus. However, Homeland Security will receive about $46 billion to complete the wall. The money is part of the new funding Congress approved this summer. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said they have been building about a half mile of barrier daily.
“The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,” she said.
Noem said that in addition to barriers like the one she visited on Tuesday, the department is also working on “water-borne infrastructure.” That’s because long border wall sections between the U.S. and Mexico sit along the Rio Grande River in Texas.
It’s worth noting that Trump is pushing to complete the border wall at the same time that the number of people crossing illegally has dropped.
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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
