Kristi Noem paints the border wall black to deter migrant crossings

In her latest public appearance, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem picked up a roller brush drenched in black paint, walked over to a metal structure in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and began painting it in a dark color. 

It was President Donald Trump’s idea, she said during a press conference on Tuesday in front of the thick, metal rods that make up part of the barrier along the New Mexico-Mexico southern border — all part of a strategy to deter immigrants from attempting to climb the fence and enter the U.S. in an unauthorized manner.

“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 come into our country legally,” she said as she stood in front of the portion of border fence she helped paint.

She also made note of the wall’s height and depth, making it even harder for individuals to climb or dig their way through it.

According to Noem, the goal is to paint the entirety of the 2,000-mile border wall black, which includes several sections already under construction. About a half mile of border wall is constructed every day, she said.

The move comes after the Trump administration secured about $46 billion in funding — via a massive domestic policy package that was approved in July by Congress — to complete the border wall he promised voters in 2016.

“Today we have the most secure border that we’ve ever had in the history of this nation,” Noem touted.

According to the DHS, border encounters have plummeted since Trump took office. At the Southwest border, authorities documented just under 4,600 encounters in July, a 24% dip from the previous month.