Military Ordered To Paint U.S.-Mexico Border Wall To Improve ‘Aesthetic Appearance’
United States military personnel stationed near the southern border have been ordered to paint portions of the barrier in order to improve its “aesthetic appearance.” According to CBS, troops will spend the next month painting fencing in Calexico, California.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed Congress via email that troops would paint the barrier not only to improve its appearance but to help combat the “camouflaging tactics of illegal border crossers” and make the bollard more difficult to climb.
“While the primary purpose is to improve the aesthetic appearance of the wall, there may also be an operational benefit based on our experience with painted barrier in Nogales, Arizona,” the email read.
The effort will cost taxpayers about $150,000 for paint and equipment to complete.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin slammed the plan as a misuse of taxpayer funds.
“DHS informed Congress today that troops are going to spend the next month painting the border wall & ‘the primary purpose is to improve the aesthetic appearance.’ A disgraceful misuse of taxpayer $$. Our military has more important work to do than making Trump’s wall beautiful,” he wrote on Twitter.
Texas Representative Joaquin Castro also criticized the move, saying that military members are soldiers and not painters.
US troops to spend a month painting border wall https://t.co/qLzD9q6zns pic.twitter.com/sG6xDxLaeZ
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 6, 2019
The DHS didn’t specify what color they planned to paint the barrier, though CBS notes that some areas of the Nogales barrier have been painted white to better highlight any people attempting to cross. However, as The Inquisitr previously reported, Trump has said that he wants to paint the border black in order to make it too hot to climb.
Reportedly, Trump said that he wants the fence painted a matte black color to help the bollards absorb the heat of the sun and discourage people from climbing it. The president also said that he wants points at the top so that anyone who attempts to climb the fencing will be faced with another obstacle. In addition, he purportedly wants the openings for the gates to be made smaller so that it’s difficult for people to pass through.
The final design option he wants to implement is increasing the height from 15-18 feet to 30 feet tall. He also reportedly wants to address the aesthetics of the wall because he believes it is ugly.
“He thinks not only can the wall be effective, it doesn’t have to be an eyesore,” a Washington insider said. “He wants one standard uniform height. That’s what he’s going for, and we have to match that with operational reality.”
