Speaking in front of a portion of the southern border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Noem explained that the wall would be painted entirely black for the dual purposes of making it heat up more and thus harder to climb, as well as increasing the lifespan of the metal.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the entire southern border wall will be painted black, so it will get hot in the sun and "make it even harder for people to climb."

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, who attended the event with Noem, said the paint would also help deter rust.