Southern border wall to be painted black at Trump’s request to deter crossings

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Santa Teresa on Tuesday.

Noem held a press conference with the U.S. Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Noem provided updates on the work Border Patrol is doing regarding drugs, trafficking, and illegal crossings.

Noem said the border wall will be painted black.

She said that with the border wall being black, it makes it hotter and harder for people to climb the wall.

Noem said the border wall being painted black was at the request of President Trump.

“Today we are also going to be painting it black, 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 not come into our country illegally, to not break our federal laws, but that they will abide and come to our country the right way so that they can stay and have the opportunity to become United States citizens and pursue the American dream,” said Noem.

“Remember that a nation without borders is no nation at all. And we’re so thankful that we have a president who understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country’s future. Now, if you look at the structure that’s behind me, it’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible,” she said.

Noem also stopped by in Ruidoso to assess the damage from the floods in July.