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U.S. Begins Painting Border Wall Black to Deter Climbers at Trump’s Direction

Backed by new congressional funding, the rollout is part of a broader effort to complete the barrier, with officials also pointing to corrosion protection.

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with a reporter on her plane while in the air en route from Quito, Ecuador to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
(250206) -- CIUDAD JUAREZ, 6 febrero, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Imagen tomada con un dron el 3 de febrero de 2025 de una parte del muro fronterizo entre Estados Unidos y México, en Ciudad Juárez, México. Ubicada en la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, Ciudad Juárez es una importante ciudad en el estado mexicano de Chihuahua, al otro lado del Río Bravo desde El Paso, Texas, en Estados Unidos. La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmó que inició el martes el despliegue de 10.000 elementos de la Guardia Nacional a lo largo de los 3.200 kilómetros de la frontera con Estados Unidos. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) (rtg) (ra) (vf)
Vista aérea de la frontera entre México y EEUU en Tijuana, Baja California.

Overview

  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem launched the effort in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, personally applying paint and attributing the directive to President Donald Trump.
  • DHS says the black coating is intended to raise surface temperatures under sunlight to discourage climbing, while U.S. Border Patrol leadership adds it should slow steel oxidation.
  • The paint initiative accompanies accelerated wall construction, with officials reporting roughly 800 meters of new barrier erected per day.
  • Recent appropriations reported at about $46 billion are financing wall completion and related infrastructure as part of the administration’s expanded border program.
  • Human‑rights groups and border experts question the deterrent value and warn of heat‑related injury risks, noting CBP’s 2020 painted‑section tests found limited impact.