Donald Trump has implemented a straightforward change at the Mexico-US border aimed at further discouraging illegal entry into the country.
Since resuming his role in the White House, Trump has reaffirmed his commitment to rigorous immigration policies, with a particular focus on preventing illegal immigration into the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commended Trump for his recent initiative and addressed the media at the southern border in New Mexico on August 19.
Noem explained that while the wall’s height is designed to deter individuals from climbing over or tunneling under, they are making an additional modification to hinder those attempting to scale the structure.
According to Noem, the wall will be painted black at Trump’s request.
She stated: “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.”
In a bit of theatrical flair, she even took a brush to apply paint on the wall.
The strategy is that the black paint will absorb heat from the sun, making the surface hotter and thereby more challenging to climb.
Nonetheless, social media users have expressed doubts regarding the effectiveness of this measure, suggesting it might not significantly impact those attempting to cross.
Critics argue that individuals crossing unlawfully could simply wear gloves or opt to climb at night when the metal hasn’t retained the day’s heat.
Trump also lauded Texas and their border patrol efforts in a Truth Social post for their success in curtailing illegal crossings.
In his message, he wrote: “CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS! The July Border Statistics are in and, once again, they are the LOWEST RECORDED NUMBERS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY. The U.S. Border Patrol reported ZERO releases of Illegal Aliens into the Country.”
They reported fewer than 25,000 Customs and Border Protection encounters nationwide for the month of July.