Overview

• Noem said crews have started coating steel bollards in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, at the president’s request to make them hotter to touch and harder to climb.
• Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said the black coating is intended to slow rust and extend the barrier’s lifespan.
• DHS presented the repainting within broader upgrades that include cameras, sensors and waterborne infrastructure, with construction progressing at roughly half a mile per day.
• Funding flows from the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill, which allocates about $46.5 billion for wall construction within a larger DHS appropriation.
• Officials provided no overall price tag or schedule for painting the entire border, reviving a tactic tested on limited segments in Trump’s first term as apprehensions have recently declined.