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- United States troops stationed at a city near the US-Mexico border will be painting the border barriers to improve its "aesthetic appearance," according to a Homeland Security email described by a congressional aide to INSIDER.
- The Department of Homeland Security emailed lawmakers on Wednesday saying troops stationed in Calexico, a US city near the border, will spend 30 days painting one-mile of border bollards, according to the email.
- Homeland Security officials stated that painting the barrier could improve its efficacy.
- Customs and Border Protection agents painted the barriers in Arizona in recent months to address the "camouflaging tactics" of migrants, according to the email. But agents noted that the paint scheme had the "unanticipated benefit" of migrants having a "greater difficulty scaling" the bollards.
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Starting today, US troops stationed at a city near the United States-Mexico border will be painting the border barriers to improve its "aesthetic appearance," according to a Homeland Security email described by a congressional aide to INSIDER.
The Department of Homeland Security emailed lawmakers on Wednesday saying troops stationed in Calexico, California a city near the border, will spend approximately 30 days painting one-mile of border bollards, according to the email.
Homeland Security officials stated that painting the barrier would improve its efficacy in addition to making it more visually appealing.
"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 said.
Customs and Border Protection agents painted the barriers in Arizona in recent months to address the "camouflaging tactics" of migrants, according to the email. But agents noted the paint scheme had the "unanticipated benefit" of migrants having a "greater difficulty scaling" the bollards.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin described the plans as a "disgraceful misuse" of taxpayer funds.
"Our military has more important work to do than making Trump’s wall beautiful," Durbin said on Twitter.
Homeland Security did not respond to INSIDER’s request for comment.
President Donald Trump reportedly gave guidance to Homeland Security officials to paint the barriers flat back because the color absorbs heat and may be too hot to scale, according to a Washington Post report from May. It’s unknown what color US troops will be painting the bollards.
The bollard-style wall is unlike the eight border-wall prototypes proposed (and mocked up in California), despite officials insisting it fulfilled Trump’s description during his 2016 presidential campaign. Steel, "see-through" posts rise from the ground vertically, unlike the concrete barrier Trump previously promised in 2016.
"No windows, no nothing, precast concrete going very high," Trump said in a speech in New Hampshire in 2016. "Let’s see about concrete going very high."
Homeland Security’s plans come amid the increased rate of migrants crossing the border in recent weeks. Over 100,000 migrants were apprehended at the US-Mexico border last month, the most in more than a decade.
Roughly 5,000 US troops have been deployed to the border to assist federal agencies in deterring illegal crossings. The cost of the deployment in 2018 was estimated around $235 million and $448 million in 2019.
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Source: Business Insider – dchoi@businessinsider.com (David Choi)