By Ollus Ndomu
U.S. President Donald Trump has directed that the entire southern border wall with Mexico be painted black, claiming the darker color will make the metal absorb more heat and become harder to climb.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the move during a visit to Santa Teresa on Tuesday. “The President 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,” she said before picking up a roller brush to paint alongside workers.
Noem later posted on X that since Trump began his second term in office, his administration had “got to work” to address what she described as the “worst border crisis in history.”
The wall, a signature project of Trump’s first presidency, remains a contentious symbol in U.S. politics. Supporters argue it strengthens border control, while critics dismiss measures like black paint as gimmicks that do little to address deeper issues of migration and asylum.
For African observers, the move highlights how governments may use symbolic measures to project toughness on border security even as migration remains driven by economic hardship, insecurity, and climate pressures across the world.
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