NOGALES, Arizona — A 100-foot section of the border fence in Nogales is now painted white, a contrast to the typical rusty brown border fence.
The painted section of fence stands in a hilly neighborhood east of downtown Nogales.
The Border Patrol's Tucson Sector says the white paint is a strategic change. It says dark figures trying to climb it now stand out against it.
They emailed the following statement:
"Painting the wall white in certain high-risk areas along the U.S./Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., increases situational awareness by improving the ability of camera operators to detect movement, particularly at night against a dark background.These small adjustments improve our ability to support the overall border security mission."
Something Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen is in favor of. She believed the border is in crisis, "it's being exploited by criminals and smugglers and thousands of people who have no respect for our laws," Secretary Nielsen said.
In a tour of the Nogales border earlier this week, she recognized the need to improve infrastructure and pledged her support to border security. "I will continue to do all I can to get all your tools and resources you need to do the jobs American people ask you to do," she said.
She says the Trump administration is taking steps to put an end to what she called lawlessness on the border.
It is still unknown if Border Patrol plans on painting other sections of the Nogales fence as well.