Updated: Will Trump paint the border fence at Playas de Tijuana black? Border Patrol has no answer yet
Mural on Border Fence at Playas de Tijuana Photo by Maria Teresa Fernandez
Originally published under title: Border Patrol Has No Answer Yet on Whether Trump-Ordered Border Wall Painting Will Include Both Sides of Fence
Border Field State Park, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has yet to clarify whether its plan to paint the U.S.-Mexico border wall black, as directed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem under the Trump administration, will apply to both sides of the barrier or only the U.S. side.
In response to emailed questions sent Friday morning, Aug. 22 regarding whether one or both sides would be painted, CBP spokespeople had no immediate answer. But on Wednesday, Aug. 27, CPB responded with the following statement: Currently, black paint is being applied to border wall construction projects in the El Paso and Tucson U.S. Border Patrol Sectors. Black paint will be added as an attribute to additional border wall projects as deemed beneficial for operational and long-term maintenance. While the San Diego Sector is evaluating specific areas for the potential application of black paint, a final determination has not yet been made regarding which areas will be painted black at this time.
So it remains unclear what the plan actually covers. Will both the primary and secondary fences be painted in areas like San Diego, where two layers of barriers exist? Will the Mexico-facing side at Playas de Tijuana also be coated—and if so, how could that be done without sparking outrage?
Legally, the U.S. has full authority to alter the wall since it sits on U.S. territory. But for more than a decade, Mexican artists have treated the fence itself as a canvas, covering its steel bollards with murals meant to humanize the structure. This tradition stretches across many stretches of the 1,954-mile border, and at Playas de Tijuana, mural painting has continued even after this year’s reconstruction of the primary fence, which increased its height from 18 to 30 feet.
Mural painting on Playas de Tijuana side of fence. Photos by Maria Teresa Fernandez
Across the border from Playas de Tijuana is the part of Border Field State Park in San Diego County known as Friendship Park—the two sides of the border wall at its westernmost point. On the U.S. side, the beach remains heavily monitored by Border Patrol and getting any closer to the barrier than 150 feet or so is forbidden. This remains the case even though Border Field State Park reopened on Aug. 16 to vehicular traffic, after a two-year closure. It remains at best unclear if and when US citizens will ever again be allowed to approach the border fence and greet their Mexican counterparts as they have been allowed to do in previous decades.
At the US-Mexico border wall with Friends of International Friendship Park
Currently, US Customs and Border Protection doesn’t seem focused on making the border wall any friendlier. Secretary Noem has said the purpose of the black paint is to make the steel bollards hotter in direct sunlight, thereby discouraging migrants from attempting to climb them. Video footage released earlier this month showed Noem, sometimes dubbed “ICE Barbie” by critics, dressed in a Border Patrol uniform and painting bollards along the southern border.
Images from left to right: Fencing on secondary fence at Border Field State Park, US military personnel at work fortifying border, where double fencing begins 150 feet from the shoreline, stretching 14 miles east into San Diego County, rolls of concertina wire in enforcement zone between primary and secondary fences All photos by Maria Teresa Fernandez
Experts have also raised doubts about the scientific basis for the policy. While it is true that black paint absorbs more heat than lighter colors, materials engineer Rick Duncan told The Texas Tribune that painting steel bollards black would increase their heat retention by less than 10 percent — a marginal difference. Other engineers have noted that any added thermal effect would fade over time as the paint degrades, requiring costly maintenance.
CBP has not released any data or studies supporting the claim that painting the wall black would meaningfully increase temperatures to the point of deterring climbs. Environmental scientists note the wall could feel hotter to the touch in intense sun, but no empirical evidence has been offered to show the measure would act as an effective security enhancement.
CBP has not given a timeline for when it will provide further clarification.
Written with the assistance of ChatGPT. The article has been revised to discuss the cultural implications of painting over murals in Playas de Tijuana.
Video by Maria Teresa Fernandez
