U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in New Mexico on Wednesday to help publicize U.S. President Donald Trump’s new security measure — painting the Mexico-U.S. border wall black.
Armed with a paint roller and a can of black paint, Noem said the strategy was specifically requested by Trump because he believes black paint will make the wall too hot to climb.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump is now painting the ENTIRE Southern Border Wall with Mexico BLACK
So it’s hard to climb. The black paint will rapidly heat up with the sun – people will hurt their hands if they try. BRILLIANT
“Specifically at the request of the president.”
I LOVE… pic.twitter.com/i2rQsJVBaV
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 19, 2025
“We are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally,” Noem said after painting a small section of the wall.
“When you touch something that is hot during these kinds of temperatures, it is very difficult to climb it, to touch it, to handle it,” she said.
Supporters of the president lauded the plan on social media.
Florida media personality Eric Daugherty said he loved the idea: “The black paint will rapidly heat up with the sun — people will hurt their hands if they try. BRILLIANT”
“This isn’t just a wall anymore — it’s a passive security system, using the laws of physics as defense,” wrote another.
Others were not so sure.
Pedro Ríos of The American Friends Service Committee — a Quaker-founded organization working for peace and social justice — said he didn’t think the black paint would serve as a deterrent.
“We don’t know how many people are climbing the border wall, but we do usually see … ladders thrown about,” he told Fox 5 San Diego. “The smuggling networks are always getting smart ideas about how to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, including maybe using gloves to prevent them burning their hands.”
Ríos suggested a more humanitarian approach that avoids conditions where people could be harmed. He pointed out that border-crossers are simply seeking refuge “after leaving difficult situations in their home countries.”
“How do we create mechanisms [to ensure] that people’s humanitarian and human rights are respected and not cause conditions that will create greater harm and suffering for people,” Ríos said.
The plan to use black paint as a deterrent is not new. Trump floated the idea during his first term (2017-2021), but it was scuttled in 2020 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the project would cost an extra US $1 million per mile.
Defending the plan, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended Wednesday’s event with Noem, said the black paint would help deter rust, extending the life expectancy of the wall.
Noem said the government is also considering additional “waterborne infrastructure” along the Rio Grande, which makes up more than half of the border between the two countries.
With reports from The Associated Press, BBC and Fox 5 San Diego
