President Donald Trump’s wall at the southern U.S. border will be painted black in an attempt to make things worse for migrants crossing the border, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday, Axios reports.
At a briefing in New Mexico, Noem confirmed to reporters that more defenses will be added to the wall in terms of technology, including cameras and sensors, adding, “We’re also going to be painting it black.”
She went on to explain that the change was being made “specifically at the request of the president,” because “when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, making it even harder for people to climb.”
She added that painting the wall black “also prevents rusting, so it’s for durability as well.”
Noem said the build was being funded from the One Big Beautiful budget, telling reporters, “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.“
“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,” she continued.
Trump’s budget allocated $165 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for operations at the southern border, with $46.5 billion of that earmarked for further construction on the wall.
The idea of painting the wall was initially floated during the first Trump administration.
BREAKING: DHS Sec. Noem announces the southern border wall will be painted black to “make it even harder for people to climb.” “That is specifically at the request of the president.” pic.twitter.com/ynjpjVbD5R
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 19, 2025
In May 2020, CNN reported that Customs and Border Protection was painting approximately 450 feet of newly-installed wall in San Luis, Arizona, with a “coal tar epoxy” to test its effectiveness. At the time, the reason provided was to “extend the life of steel,” despite one administration official, that CNN spoke to, noting that there was no significant structural advantage to painting the wall black.
The official also revealed that estimates suggested it would cost as much as $1.2 million per mile to paint the wall black, resulting in a total price tag of $500 million.
A DHS spokesperson told Axios, “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.”
The Daily Beast has also contacted DHS for extra details.
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