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.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the nation's southern border walls will be painted black to better repel anyone who might try to scale them.

The wall along the southern border will be painted black in an effort to make the structure too hot to climb, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday, saying the suggestion came from President Donald Trump.