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 is following through on a specific request from President Donald Trump — and critics are having a field day. Noem announced on Tuesday that the entire wall along the southern border will be painted black as part of an effort to reduce illegal crossings into the United States.