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.